Ben Shelton keeps BMW Open dream alive after scare

Ben Shelton keeps BMW Open dream alive with nervy win over Joao Fonseca.

Shelton had to dig deep on Friday to keep his title hopes alive at the BMW Open by Bitpanda in Munich, edging past rising Brazilian star Joao Fonseca 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarterfinals of the ATP 500 clay-court event.

It was not a comfortable afternoon for the American world number six. After a dominant opening set in which he never faced a break point and won 94 percent of his first-serve points, Shelton lost his way in the second.

Serving at 3-4, he failed to put away a smash that sat up for him, and Fonseca converted a defensive lob that stayed in. The point was lost, Shelton was broken, and Fonseca closed out the set to level the match.

The third set, however, told a familiar story. Shelton reasserted his serve, dropping only three points on it throughout the decider, got the crucial break midway through and closed out a 6-3 win.

The victory continues a strong run for Shelton in Munich. He arrived as the second seed and returned to a tournament where he reached the biggest clay-court final of his career last year, eventually losing to home favourite Alexander Zverev in 2025. His overall record at the event now stands at 6-1.

"It's a special place for me," Shelton said ahead of the tournament.

"Last year I should have lost in the first round. We had a lot of tight matches. It was a crazy tournament run and to end up in the final was pretty cool."

The path to the quarterfinal had already provided some drama. Shelton needed three sets to see off fellow American Emilio Nava in the opening round, rallying from a break down in the deciding set to win 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3.

That match carried extra emotional weight as Nava is one of Shelton's closest friends on tour.

"It's tough. Not just a compatriot, but probably my best friend out on Tour, or one of a few," Shelton said after that win.

In the second round he faced Belgian wild card Alexander Blockx and again had to grind, saving two set points in the second set including one in a tiebreak, before winning 6-4, 7-6(8).

The win over Fonseca was arguably his most significant. The 19-year-old Brazilian has been one of the most exciting players on the clay-court circuit this spring and came into the match having beaten seventh seed Arthur Rinderknech 6-3, 6-2 in the previous round.

Fonseca has a big serve to match Shelton's and moves well for his age, making him a legitimate threat on any surface.

Shelton himself has been candid about his ongoing development on clay.

"I still need much more time to spend on clay to be at the highest level, especially with movement. This is the most important aspect on clay," he said. His record on the surface now stands at 20-17 at tour level after the Fonseca victory.

He will next face the winner of the Denis Shapovalov vs Alex Molcan quarterfinal and should enter that match as the clear favourite.

On the other side of the draw, defending champion Zverev is through to the quarterfinals and remains the man to beat in Munich, where the champion is also awarded a brand new BMW car and a pair of custom-made Bavarian Lederhosen alongside the trophy.