Ben Shelton continued his strong run at the Montreal Masters with a comfortable win over Zizou Bergs, while Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca produced an impressive victory over ninth seed Casper Ruud.
Fifth seed Shelton needed just 65 minutes to beat Bergs 6-3, 6-2. The American hit eight aces and won three games to love in the second set.
The victory puts Shelton into the last 16 of the tournament for the first time this season and keeps his hopes of winning a second straight title in Canada alive.
“It was a good day for me. I managed the match well,” Shelton said.
“He came out serving extremely well, so I had to make some adjustments. I found a way to break his serve and kept the pressure on when I took the lead.”
Shelton will face Fonseca in the fourth round after the Brazilian teenager defeated Ruud 7-6(6), 6-3.
Fonseca made a slow start and was 4-2 down in the opening set, but he fought back to take control of the match. He eventually secured the win with a winner on his second match point.
“It was not easy at the start. He was serving well,” Fonseca said. “I fought to finally get the win.”
The 19-year-old said his experience against top players this season has helped his development.
“Playing against the big guys this year was really important for my development,” he said.
Fonseca is now looking forward to facing Shelton.
“I think I’ll be prepared. He’s a nice guy, but I don’t need to say how good he is on court. I’m just trying to rest and be prepared.”
Tallon Griekspoor also reached the last 16 after coming from behind to beat Matteo Arnaldi 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.
The Dutchman had already caused an upset by defeating top seed Alexander Zverev and continued his impressive run against Arnaldi.
Griekspoor fell a set behind but turned the match around and took control in the deciding set. He eventually won after more than two hours.
“It’s never over until the last ball is hit,” Griekspoor said. “I tried to stay focused and I’m happy with how I managed the match.”
He will face Spain’s Daniel Merida for a place in the quarter-finals.
Merida defeated Alex Michelsen 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-1 after saving two match points in the second set.
Merida had never previously won a tour-level hard-court match before this week. He arrived in Montreal after winning the Umag title on clay in Croatia last month.
Jakub Mensik also advanced after beating Terence Atmane 7-5, 6-4.
The Czech player has reached back-to-back wins for the first time since making the semi-finals in Paris two months ago.
Mensik will next face Botic van de Zandschulp, who defeated Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-5.
