Stefanos Tsitsipas and Andrei Rublev, both vying for a place in the ATP Finals, will meet in the semi-finals of the Swiss Indoor, an ATP 500-level event, held in Basel.

There were a lot of exciting moments in my last two games, so I’m trying to build that confidence and play those pressure points as best I can Stefanos Tsitsipas

Rublev, currently seeded in 8th place in the qualifying race to Turin, now has a tough task to get past Ben Shelton, while Tsitsipas, with an outside chance of qualifying for the 8-man field, is in 12th place, with a deficit of 745 to the Russian. points, faces an extremely tough task when he takes on Arthur Fils next.

Sixth-seeded Shelton ended Stan Wawrinka’s hopes but faced a strong challenge from the 39-year-old Swiss playing in front of his home crowd. He eventually saw him down 7-6(2) 7-5 to record his 13th appearance in a tour-level quarter-final.

“I was happy with the way I defended my break points,” said Shelton, who saved five during the match. “Holding on to the big moments is what won me the match today.

“We were joking in the locker room before the match that he (Wawrinka) has been in the Tour as long as I have been alive. He has a lot of experience here and has done many incredible things for our sport, especially here in Switzerland.”

Shelton hit 20 forehand winners on his way to setting up a quarterfinal clash with top seed Rublev, who had eased past Alejandro Tabilo 24 hours earlier.

Stefanos Tsitsipas fights to qualify for Turin

(Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Tsitsipas also faced a stiff challenge from his second-round opponent, Botic van de Zandschulp, and had to dig deep to get past the Dutchman 7-6(3) 7-5.

“I had to stay calm in those tight moments, and that turned out quite well,” said Tsitsipas on reaching his fourth quarter-final of the season. “There were a lot of exciting moments in my last two games, so I’m trying to build that confidence and use those pressure points as best I can.

“It became crucial at many moments. Even though he won the first set, he didn’t really give back, he didn’t give me the space I was looking for. I would say the second set was even more challenging and difficult to play than the first. (It was) an incredible match on my own at 5-5 (in the second set). I achieved those points with great athleticism and good defense.

Tsitsipas will face French youngster Fils for a place in the last four after the 20-year-old powered his way past Pedro Martinez 7-5 6-3.

Holger Rune produced impressive form

Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

2022 finalist Holger Rune continued to impress as he saw off Dominic Stricker 6-3 7-6(2) in 87 minutes.

“It was a good level from my side in the first set, but I lost my focus a little bit in the second when he broke me,” Rune said. “He was playing quite fast and rushing me, so I had to increase my footwork and be more active with my legs.

“I just had to stay there and find a solution, and I did. I connected with some returns, managed to get the break back and everything was open.

The 21-year-old will next face Lucky Loser David Goffin, who produced remarkable tennis to stun fifth seed Ugo Humbert 3-6 6-1 7-6(7), joining defending champion Felix Auger Aliassime on the sidelines after the match. Canadians 6-1 7-6(6) defeat by 6’8” Frenchman, Giovanni Mpteshi Perricard, 6-1 7-6(6).

21-year-old Mpetshi Perricard will now meet another Canadian for a spot in the semi-finals after Denis Shapovalov produced impressive tennis against a revived Roberto Bautista Agut 6-3 7-6(4), ending The red-hot form of the experienced Spaniard with which he won the title in Antwerp last week.