Ricky’s picks for Friday in Basel, involving Rublev and Tsitsipas

Stefanos Tsitsipas has a lot of work to do if he wants to secure a spot in the Nitto ATP Finals. He can help himself with a win on Friday at the Swiss Indoors Basel, as can Andrey Rublev.

Here are my picks for two of Friday’s best matchups

(3) Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. (7) Arthur Fils

Tsitsipas needs at least one more big result and possibly even two if he wants a ticket to Turin. The world No. 11 is off to a good start at the ATP 500 in Basel after defeating Francisco Cerundolo–in a third-set tiebreaker–and Botic van de Zandschulp.

Fils stands in Tsitsipas’ way of the semifinals and the Frenchman won their only previous encounter in a pair of tiebreakers on the indoor hard courts of Antwerp in 2023. The 20-year-old is up to No. 20 in the world at 20 years old thanks to a 34-14 record this season. Fils is an unbelievable 12-0 in his last 12 matches at the ATP 500 level–with titles in Hamburg and Tokyo plus Basel victories Daniel Altmaier and Pedro Martinez. The Frenchman is simply a man on a mission.

Pick: Fils in 3

(1) Andrey Rublev vs. (6) Ben Shelton

It has been an up-and-down year for Rublev, but a title at the Madrid Masters and a runner-up showing at the Montreal Masters are enough to have him in Turin position–currently No. 8. Rublev has helped himself this week by dismissing Nuno Borges and Alejandro Tabilo with relative ease.

Shelton, who has never faced Rublev, also hasn’t dropped a set in Basel (d. Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Stan Wawrinka). The big-serving American has now posted multiple wins at five consecutive tournaments. Shelton, ranked 23rd, is in solid but unspectacular form. Big wins have eluded him for the most part in 2024, which is why a hungry Rublev might have a very slight edge on Friday.

Pick: Rublev in 3

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.