Ben Shelton edges Francisco Cerundolo, reaches final
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Ben Shelton will play in his fourth ATP final in Munich, the third at the ATP 500 level! A left-hander toppled Francisco Cerundolo 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 in two hours and seven minutes. Thus, he became the first American in the clay-court ATP 500 final since the start of the series in 2009!
In addition, Shelton is the fourth active American in the European clay-court ATP final after Frances Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda and Taylor Fritz, who fought for the title in Munich a year ago. Ben dropped the opener in no time and stood two points away from the exit door.
He prevailed in the tie break of the second set and secured two breaks in the decider to book a place in the title clash.
Ben Shelton hits a beautiful drop shot against Cerundolo in Munich.
Some massive forehand rockets followed up by a soft touch.
Great stuff. 🇺🇸
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) April 19, 2025
Thanks to the opening set, Cerundolo claimed two points more than his rival. Both players faced five break points. Francisco lost serve three times and provided four breaks, including back-to-back ones in the opener.
Both players landed 20 unforced errors more than winners. Cerundolo forged a slight gap from the baseline and at the net, while Shelton erased it in service winners. The Argentine made a reliable start, serving well in the first set and pressuring his rival.
A left-hander saved a break point in the second game and provided a hold at love with a service winner two games later for 2-2. Francisco held at love in game five with a service winner and grabbed a break in the next one after Ben’s loose forehand.
Cerundolo landed an ace in the seventh game to open a 5-2 gap and made another push on the return in the next one. Shelton missed a backhand and faced two set points. The Argentine landed a volley winner on the first, wrapping up the first part of the duel 6-2 in 29 minutes.
Ben raised his level in the…
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Source : tennisworldusa
