A new champion will be crowned in Basel on Sunday when Ben Shelton and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard tussle at the Swiss Indoors decider.
The American played high-level tennis to avenge his Tokyo loss against Arthur Fils in the semis and aims to cap off his debut at the tournament with success over another player in storming form.
Match preview
Shelton was confident heading into Saturday's last-four battle with good friend Fils, and the 22-year-old backed up the post-quarter-final talk with a stunning 6-3, 7-6(9) victory to end the Frenchman's 13-match winning streak at ATP 500 events.
The two-time tour-level champion showed his competence on the pressure points to beat home veteran Stanislas Wawrinka and top seed Andrey Rublev in the previous rounds before doing likewise against his 20-year-old opponent.
The second set seemed to be going to a decider as anticipated, only for the American to show his battling qualities to fight back from 5-0 down in the second-set tiebreak before saving set points at 6-7 and 8-9 to clinch the tiebreak 11-9 for a championship match in his Basel debut.
Having saved 11 break points combined in round two and the quarter-final, Shelton conceded zero chances on his deliveries against Fils and converted one of two opportunities on his doubles partner's serve to claim the first set.
After ending his Tour-level losses against top-10 opponents and snapping Fils' winning streak at ATP 500 events this week, the world No. 23, guaranteed to move into the top 20 on Monday, now aims for a third ATP title and second in 2024.
That outcome is far from guaranteed against an opponent in outstanding form, underscored by this week's run to his first ATP 500 final.
Mpetshi Perricard, bidding for his second career title, won the ATP 250 event on clay in Lyon in the first half of the year but has flourished in Switzerland this week.
The 21-year-old ended the undefeated streak of consecutive defending champion Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round and beat fourth seed Holger Rune to reach Sunday's championship match.
Hoping to maintain the impressive serving accuracy that has fuelled his run to the final, the Frenchman, who has fired a remarkable number of aces in each match — 21 against James Duckworth, 22 against the former champion, 27 against Denis Shapovalov, and 17 in the semi-final win over Rune — now faces the challenge of Shelton.
Having won the pair's previous match-up on the tour, Mpetshi Perricard hopes to outdo his American opponent in Sunday's decider.
Tournament so far
Ben Shelton:
First round: vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-3 6-4
Second round: vs. Stanislas Wawrinka 7-6(2) 7-5
Quarter-final: vs. Andrey Rublev 7-5 6-7(3) 6-4
Semi-final: vs. Arthur Fils 6-3, 7-6(9)
Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard:
First round: vs. James Duckworth 7-6(4) 6-3
Second round: vs. Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1 7-6(6)
Quarter-final:vs. Denis Shapovalov 6-7(7) 6-3 7-6(3)
Semi-final: vs. Holger Rune 7-6(6) 6-4
Head To Head
Queen's Club (2024) - Round of 32: Mpetshi Perricard 6-3 7-6(3)
The Frenchman emerged victorious in their only previous meeting — a straight-sets win on grass during the Wimbledon warm-up tournament.
Mpetshi Perricard did not give Shelton a sniff on his deliveries, firing 16 aces past the American to advance to the last 16 at the Queen's Club before falling to Billy Harris.
Neither player has lost a tour-level title match, albeit with Shelton 2-0 in deciders and the world No. 50 1-0 in such encounters ahead of Sunday.
We say: Shelton to win in three sets
Shelton's competitive spirit was evident in his desire to get one over good friend Fils in Saturday's semi-final after losing their match-up in Tokyo last month.
While the American possesses a booming serve, Mpetshi Perricard's deliveries equally pack a punch, and the outcome could hinge on how competently the world No. 23 handles the Frenchman's outstanding weapon.
Sunday's match-up could go either way, but we favour the effervescent United States player to notch his second title this year and third overall.
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