Ben Shelton Fires 44 Aces in Basel Thriller and Defends Tour Rivals

Ben Shelton opened his campaign at the Swiss Indoors in Basel with a hard-fought three-set victory over Aleksandar Kovacevic, delivering a historic serving performance. The 24-year-old American and world No. 4 relied on 44 aces to defeat his compatriot 6-7 (4), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4) in two hours and 38 minutes on the indoor hard courts of Roger Federer's hometown.

The contest featured an extraordinary display of serving dominance, with neither competitor dropping serve across the entire match. Shelton successfully fended off all four break points he faced during the clash, while Kovacevic, a 28-year-old ranked 84th globally, saved the lone break opportunity against him. Shelton, who was a finalist at the latest US Open, utilized his blistering delivery to dictate the critical tiebreak stages.

Shelton's 44 aces placed him near the all-time record for the most aces struck in a best-of-three-sets ATP match. The milestone tied the mark previously set by Australian Mark Philippoussis. The overall best-of-three record remains with Canada's Milos Raonic, who fired 47 aces during a 6-7 (6), 6-3, 7-6 (9) victory against Cameron Norrie on the grass courts of Queen's Club in 2024. Prior to Raonic, Croatian big-server Ivo Karlovic held that record with 45 aces against Tomas Berdych in Halle.

Historical records for longer formats remain even higher. Karlovic previously struck 75 aces across five sets at the 2017 Australian Open, while the ultimate tennis benchmark belongs to American John Isner. During his marathon 2010 Wimbledon match against France's Nicolas Mahut—a duel lasting 11 hours and six minutes over three days due to rain interruptions—Isner hammered 113 aces, while Mahut registered 103.

The explosive debut in Basel pushed Shelton's season ace tally from 567 to 611 across 58 matches, bringing his seasonal average to 10.53 aces per match. Despite Shelton's heavy-hitting success, Germany's Alexander Zverev currently leads the tour in total aces for the campaign, having recorded 797 aces in 79 matches, averaging roughly 10 aces per contest.

Beyond his on-court performance in Switzerland, Shelton recently weighed in on the broader tennis landscape, defending tour leaders Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner against critics questioning their recent dominance. Shelton pointed directly to the silverware accumulated by both stars before injuries disrupted their schedules in 2026. "They won two of the four Grand Slam tournaments played this year, and Sinner also won five Masters 1000s," Shelton said. "I do not know to what extent it can be claimed that their dominance has declined."

Shelton highlighted the specific physical setbacks that hampered both rivals' campaigns during 2026. Alcaraz opened the season by capturing the Australian Open to complete a Career Grand Slam and won in Doha before a wrist issue sidelined him until the US Open. Sinner claimed five Masters 1000 crowns and retained his Wimbledon title before persistent right knee problems ended his competitive calendar and pushed his scheduled return to 2027.

While acknowledging that their absences opened up the tour for other competitors, Shelton maintained that the duo's elite standing remains unchanged. "I think both will be in great shape heading into the Australian Open in 2027," Shelton stated. "It was a shame for tennis that both Carlos and Jannik could not compete for a large part of the season."

Elsewhere at the Swiss Indoors on Tuesday, France's Arthur Fils advanced with a 7-6 (5), 7-5 victory over childhood friend and qualifier Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in a one-hour and 45-minute battle on Center Court. Mpetshi Perricard, who reached 29th in February 2025 before dropping to 148th, noted he plans to rebuild his form on the ATP Challenger circuit next week. Fils, a 2024 Basel semifinalist, next faces 34th-ranked American Alex Michelsen in Thursday's second round.