Shelton saves match points to set up all-American Stuttgart final against Fritz

Ben Shelton battled through a grueling match, saving two match points to overcome Jiri Lehecka and advance to the Stuttgart Open final. The American player secured his spot with a 6-7(4), 7-6(14), 7-6(6) victory, marking his third consecutive three-set win at the ATP grasscourt event.

"Sometimes tennis doesn’t go to plan," Shelton commented after the match. "I lost the first set in every single match I played. But there are a lot of ways to win a match. I've been choosing the most difficult route."

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Sometimes tennis doesn’t go to plan. I lost the first set in every single match I played. But there are a lot of ways to win a match. I've been choosing the most difficult route.

Shelton's resilience was particularly evident in the second-set tiebreak, where he fended off two match points before ultimately winning the marathon encounter that lasted two hours and 52 minutes. He will now face compatriot Taylor Fritz in an all-American final.

Reigning champion Fritz had a more straightforward path to the final, defeating Alexander Bublik 6-4, 6-4 with 13 aces. Meanwhile, at the Libema Open in Hertogenbosch, Australia's Alex de Minaur advanced to the final by beating Adrian Mannarino 6-4, 6-0. He is set to play Kamil Majchrzak, who defeated Daniil Medvedev 7-6(4), 6-1 to reach his first ATP Tour singles final.

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I'm very tired but excited to be playing him in another final.