22-year-old Ben Shelton has won his first ATP Masters 1000 title after a hard-fought victory over Russia’s Karen Khachanov at the Canadian Open in Toronto. Shelton, the fourth seed from the USA, came back from a set down to win 6,7(5), 6,4, 7,6(3) in just under three hours.
The win marks the biggest title of Shelton’s career so far. During the tournament, he defeated several top players, including Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, and Taylor Fritz. With this success, Shelton will now move up to number six in the world rankings, the highest he’s ever been.
Shelton is the youngest American man to win a Masters 1000 event since Andy Roddick in 2004.
“It feels unreal,” Shelton said. “It’s been a tough week. I had to dig deep, but I played my best when it mattered most. I’m proud of how I stayed strong and pushed through.”
Khachanov looked like he might take the match after winning the first set and leading in the second. There was even a delay in the second set due to technical problems with the electronic line-calling system. But Shelton stayed focused, fought back, and took control in the final-set tiebreak.
The American hit 16 aces and 38 winners during the match.
“Karen was all over me at the start, his forehand was so powerful, I felt like a train was coming at me,” Shelton said. “But I adjusted, started hitting my own big shots, and turned the match around.”
Khachanov, who had beaten top seed Alexander Zverev in the semis, was aiming for his second Masters title after winning in Paris in 2018.
“It’s always tough to lose a final,” said the Russian. “But it’s been a great week and I’m proud of my team. We win and lose together.”
