Photo credit: Mark Howard
Dirt deficits don’t scare Ben Shelton.
Down a set in today’s Munich semifinals, Shelton dispensed variety fighting off Francisco Cerundolo 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-4 to reach his fourth career ATP Final at the Munich Open.
The second-seeded Shelton will face top-seeded German Alexander Zverev in tomorrow's final.
Two-time Munich champion Zverev defeated world No. 77 Fabian Marozsan 7-6(3), 6-3 to reach his third Munich final and first since 2018.
The 22-year-old Shelton has ridden a historic and resilient road to his second clay-court final. Shelton staved off three match points edging Croatian qualifier Borna Gojo 4-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(6) in a two hour, 23-minute battle to open the tournament. That near dirt demise has been empowering: Shelton has won all four tiebreakers he’s played this week, including today’s critical second-set breaker when Cerundolo’s formidable forehand failed him under pressure.
Though Shelton has been a damaging contender in hard court Grand Slams reaching Australian Open and US Open semifinals, he’s become a dangerous presence on dirt as well.
The 2024 Houston champion Shelton is the first American man to reach a clay final above the ATP 250 level since Hall of Famer Andre Agassi won the 2002 ATP Masters 1000 Rome.
The 1999 Roland Garros champion Agassi basically imposed his hard-court game on red clay. In Shelton’s case, clay actually inspires him to explore the diversity in his game. Shelton mixed his speeds and spins on serve, deployed the drop shot and slice and made a couple of reflex stabs to steal points from defensive positions.
Playing for the biggest final of his career, Cerundolo broke at 30 for a 4-2 lead.
Knifing a razor-sharp backhand volley crosscourt, Cerundolo finished the first set with a flourish and a clenched fist toward his box.
Resetting, Shelton started the second set with the break and an energetic shout. Shelton rolled to a 3-1 second-set lead.
Then the American committed self-sabotage. Shelton bungled a smash hitting it right back at Cerundolo to face break point then double faulted back the break in the fifth game.
Whipping his lefty slider serve wide on the ad side, Shelton held at 30 to force the second-set tiebreaker after 73 minutes.
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The second set earned double set point at 6-4 in the breaker, but Cerundolo saved both before he netted a forehand to face a third set point at 7-6.
The Argentinean hit a deep return to save set point No. 3 only to net a backhand.
When Cerundolo lines up the forehand, he can crunch that shot with pace and some jolting spin. At some critical moments today, Cerundolo got the forehand he wanted only to tighten on execution.
On his fourth set point, Shelton finally sealed the tiebreaker coaxing an errant forehand that left Cerundolo barking at his box.
The pair exchanged breaks in a nervy start to the final set.
Netting a drop volley, Shelton was tested at deuce, but stood tall holding for 5-4.
Facing a match point, Cerundolo approached behind a forehand down the line then blocked a slick backhand volley winner off his hip for a superb save.
The anxious Argentinean jerked a forehand wide to face a second match point. When Cerundolo netted a final forehand, Shelton was through in two hours, six minutes.
Shelton joins Agassi, Ivan Lendl, brothers Gene Mayer and Sandy Mayer and 2024 finalist Taylor Fritz as the sixth American man to reach the Munich final in the Open Era.