Shelton edges Monfils in sudden death to reach UTS Frankfurt semi-finals

American Ben Shelton booked his place in the semi-finals of UTS Frankfurt on Saturday as he beat Gael Monfils 19-10, 9-18, 20-10, 14-15, 2-0 in sudden death.

The left-hander – “The Mountain” coped well with all the exuberance coming from the other side of the net as 38-year-old Monfils – “La Monf” – turned on the style at times, coming through in sudden death to maintain his quest for a place in the UTS Grand Final in London in December.

“For me it was cool to be around Gael, a legend of our sport, someone whose highlight tapes I’ve watched a million times,” said Shelton, who will play Thanasi Kokkinakis in the last four.

Shelton took the first quarter with ease but Monfils upped his game in the second quarter to level. But the effort of matching the younger man seemed to take its toll and Shelton took advantage.

The American stormed through the fourth quarter 20-10 and then squandered three match points as Monfils took it to sudden death, but the Frenchman double-faulted on the opening point and netted a forehand on the second.

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