Ben Shelton calls out ATP as Ugo Humbert's Swiss Indoors 1R match follows UTS final; Frenchman's girlfriend Tessah rallies behind
Ben Shelton questioned the ATP for scheduling Ugo Humbert's first-round match at the Swiss Indoors just a day after their UTS final. Shelton also received support from Humbert's girlfriend, Tessah Andrianjafitrimo, following his remarks.
Shelton and Humbert recently competed at the Ultimate Tennis Showdown (UTS) in Frankfurt, Germany. The two faced off in Sunday's final, where Shelton secured a 10-19, 18-5, 15-11, 19-11 win over Humbert.
The next day, Humbert was scheduled to face Jerome Kym at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. The World No. 16 started strong, taking the first set 6-4. Kym forced a tiebreak in the second, winning it 7-6(5), but Humbert rallied in the third set, winning 7-5 to secure his spot in the next round.
Notably, the Frenchman triumphed despite enduring a long journey and a quick turnaround. He was seen vibing and was in high spirits as he advanced to the second round. Watch the ATP tour's video below.
Ben Shelton later called out the ATP in the comments for scheduling Humbert's match immediately after their UTS showdown.
"Guy plays last night in a different country and they play him first on Monday," he wrote.
Following this, Humbert's girlfriend Tessah Andrianjafitrimo thanked Shelton for raising the concern.
"Thank you Ben," she wrote.
While Humbert faces David Goffin in the second round, Shelton is yet to start his campaign in Basel.
Ben Shelton will start his Swiss Indoors campaign against Argentina's Tomas Martin Etcheverry.
Shelton, the sixth seed in the ATP 250 event in Basel, is set to face Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the first round. Etcheverry's last appearance was at the European Open, where he was eliminated in the second round by Roberto Bautista Agut.
Meanwhile, Shelton last competed at the Shanghai Masters. The American received a first-round bye in the event and defeated Denis Shapovalov and Roberto Carballés Baena in the second and third rounds, respectively. However, his campaign in Shanghai ended with a straight-set defeat against Jannik Sinner in the fourth round.
Shelton currently holds a season record of 37-23, which he aims to improve in Basel. Additionally, the American will look to secure his second tour title of the season, having previously won the Men's Clay Court Championship in April.
The first-round encounter in Basel will mark the third meeting between Shelton and Etcheverry, with Shelton leading their head-to-head 2-0. The winner of this match will face either Stan Wawrinka or Adrian Mannarino in the second round.