Toronto: Ben Shelton won the biggest title of his career to-date after claiming the Canadian Open men’s singles crown after a pulsating final 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory against Karen Khachanov.
Shelton becomes the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion since 21-year-old Andy Roddick won the 2004 Miami title. He also surged to fourth in the ATP Live Race to Turin, boosting his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in November.
After edging two matches in the earlier rounds in third-set tiebreaks, Shelton had to do it again in final. He dropped the opening set in a breaker but fought back to take the second. In the shootout at 6-6, he raced out to a quick 3-0 lead which he never surrendered, finishing off the win on his second match point. The final lasted two hours and 48 minutes.
Shelton is the fourth first-time Masters 1000 champion in 2025, joining Jack Draper (Indian Wells), Jakub Mensik (Miami), and Casper Ruud (Madrid). It is the third title of Shelton’s career, adding to triumphs in Tokyo in 2023 and Houston in 2024. He has won at least one title for three straight years.
“It’s a surreal feeling. It’s been a long week, not an easy path to the final. My best tennis came out when it mattered most. I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself,” Shelton said.
Khachanov blasted 10 forehand winners in the opening set and his power pinned Shelton deep behind the baseline. But on the advice of his coach and father Bryan, Shelton worked his way up the court in the second and third sets to take a more aggressive posture.
Shelton now leads Khachanov 2-0 in their ATP head-to-head series, after also beating the 29-year-old in Indian Wells earlier this year. The players are seeded to meet in the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals.
(IANS)
