BASEL, Switzerland — Novak Djokovic will not be chasing Roger Federer’s remarkable 103 career titles at the beloved Swiss icon’s hometown tournament this week.
In a gripping match at the Swiss Indoors on Thursday, Djokovic faced a heartbreaking defeat, falling 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-6 (5) to the 47th-ranked Jan-Lennard Struff.
Top seed Ben Shelton also faced disappointment, as his attempt to secure an eighth career title in Basel was thwarted by 222nd-ranked Swiss wild card Jerome Kym, who triumphed 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (1) in a surprising night match.
Djokovic’s loss came after his 36-year-old German adversary sealed the victory with his third match point, delivering a powerful ace down the middle that the 39-year-old Serb could not intercept. Djokovic had managed to stave off the second match point with an ace of his own.
The legendary 24-time Grand Slam champion recently celebrated his 102nd tour title in Beijing, with only Jimmy Connors—who has 109 titles—holding more than Federer’s 103.
This marked Djokovic’s first appearance in Basel in 15 years, a venue where he once claimed victory against Federer in the 2009 final. The following year, Federer avenged his loss in their rematch, proudly lifting the trophy at his childhood stomping grounds, where he once served as a ballboy and has won an astounding 10 times.
Shelton suffers another defeat against a lower-ranked player
The U.S. Open finalist Shelton is now grappling with a disappointing trio of losses this season against opponents ranked in the triple digits.
Kym, ranked 222, is the latest low-ranking nemesis for Shelton, who had previously lost to No. 140 Otto Virtanen at Wimbledon and No. 117 Nikoloz Basilashvili in Rome.
This season, Shelton has also been bested by seven other players ranked between 87 and 56, while managing to secure four titles across three different surfaces.
The 4th-ranked American demonstrated resilience, clawing back from precarious situations on Thursday when he saved match points serving at 5-6 in the second set and rallied from two breaks down at 5-2 in the final set after midnight.
In a thrilling finale, the 23-year-old Kym, a tall right-hander predominantly competing in Switzerland, elevated his performance during the decisive tiebreaker, concluding with a spectacular backhand passing shot while stretching toward the net.
Kym will advance to face Jiri Lehecka on Friday after the eighth-seeded Czech eased past Daniel Altmaier with a score of 7-5, 6-4.
Fils moves on to square off against Fritz in the quarterfinals
Earlier in the day, second-seeded Arthur Fils fought hard to claim a tense victory, overcoming No. 34 Alex Michelsen of the United States with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5).
Fils is set to challenge fellow American and sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz, who comfortably defeated Denis Shapovalov with a score of 6-4, 6-3 to secure his spot in the quarterfinals.
