Ben Shelton Fires 44 Aces in Thrilling Basel Victory
The top-seeded American survived an opening-round test at the Swiss Indoors while rejecting claims that the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has faded.
World No. 4 American tennis player Ben Shelton delivered a stellar serving performance at the Swiss Indoors in Basel, firing 44 aces to edge out fellow American Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-7(4), 7-6(3), 7-6(4) in a grueling opening-round match that featured no breaks of serve.
Playing as the top seed at an event above the ATP 250 level for the first time in his career, Shelton fell just three aces short of the all-time record for a three-set match. He secured the victory by dominating both the second- and third-set tiebreaks.
Reflecting on his historic serving display, Shelton explained that recent adjustments to his technique have prioritized precision over raw power. He noted that he and his team entered the indoor hard-court swing focusing on spot serving and a smoother throwing motion rather than watching the radar gun.
"We changed my serve, the technique, and to come out here and, in the first match, serve the way that I did, as accurately as I did, and have multiple games where I had four aces, very pleased with that," Shelton said during his on-court interview. He added that focusing on targets prevents him from over-serving and over-swinging.
The victory keeps Shelton's bid for his fifth title of the season alive as he continues his race toward a spot at the year-end ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. He has already qualified for the prestigious tournament alongside other top stars.
Outside of his own matches in Basel, Shelton recently addressed the state of men's tennis amid injury setbacks for rival champions Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Rejecting the notion that their dominance has faded, Shelton pointed to their major titles earlier in the season.
"I mean, they won two of the four slams this year. Sinner won five Masters 1000s. I don't know that their dominance has faded," Shelton stated. While acknowledging that more young players are stepping up to compete for top titles, he concluded that dismissing Alcaraz and Sinner's hegemony is unfair.
Shelton advances in Basel to face Swiss wild card Jerome Kym in the second round, hoping to maintain his sharp accuracy on the fast indoor courts.
Sources
- ATP Basel Day 4 Predictions Including Shelton vs Kym lastwordonsports.com
- Shelton Fires 44 Aces, Survives Kovacevic in Basel tennisnow.com
- Tennis bets today: Our best pick for Pohankova vs. Parks on Thursday [10/29/2026] dimers.com
- “Unfair” – Ben Shelton Strictly Rejects Claims of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s Dominance ‘Fading’ After Injury Setbacks sports.yahoo.com
- Former Gator Ben Shelton powers through Frances Tiafoe for first U.S. Open finals appearance - The Independent Florida Alligator alligator.org