'He made a gesture in the tiebreak': Shelton explains heated exchange in Toronto

(Getty/Matthew Stockman)

A feisty interaction between Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli at the Toronto Masters has been clarified by the American fourth seed.

Cobolli, ranked 17th, failed to serve out the match in the third set, handing his opponent a lifeline to take full advantage in a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1) win in the fourth round.

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Yet there was confusion and drama as the pair shook hands at the net, locked in a tense debate for 30 seconds before they met again next to the umpire's chair.

"He made a gesture in the tiebreak, and I asked him about it. He said it wasn't directed at me, so all good," said Shelton on court, who seemed fired up.

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As expected, the media followed up on the controversy in the post-match press conference.

"He said it wasn't towards me. We're good," Shelton explained .

"We talked about it in the locker room, so I'm not going to answer any more questions about that.

"There's no story, we're good, that's it."

Shelton and Alex de Minaur will meet for the first time for a chance to reach the semi-finals of the Masters 1000 event.

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