Delays, Drama, Devastating Power – Shelton Rises to the Occasion

Ben Shelton finally claims his first Masters 1000 title, taking out Karen Khachanov in a gritty three-set match.

With the two powerhouses of men’s tennis not competing, it was anyone’s tournament to win. Ranked 4th, the young American always had a strong shout at this year's Canadian Open, especially after showing such strength at this year’s Wimbledon Championship, reaching the quarter-final.

Shelton’s route to the final was anything but a cake walk. He faced a strong challenge in the quarter-final, facing off against Alex De Minaur, who Shelton quickly dismantled 6-3/6-4 to progress to the semis where he faced Taylor Fritz.

Fritz came into this tournament ranked No.2, and was a strong favourite to take the crown. Yet, his skills weren’t enough to take out his fellow countrymen, who obliterated him 6-4/6-3.

After going down in the first set of the final, Ben Shelton bounced back, producing 16 aces across the match to Khachanov’s three. Nevertheless, this match produced intense back and forth tennis, with Khachanov showing why he is always a top contender at these master’s tournaments.

This match also saw technical glitches in the line calling system for the second day in a row, with the audio not being heard on the fault calls, leading to short delays in the final. There were further delays as well due to the success of Canada’s Victoria Mboko defeating Naiomi Osaka in the Women’s final.

These delays did not stop the 22 year old. Even with a slight problem in his upper thigh, his serves were still as powerful as ever, and his devastating power came on show in the final point as he skilfully moved Khachanov around the court. The Russian then proceeded to hit the ball into the top of the net, crowning the American as a ATP master’s 1000 champion for the first time in his career.

Now, given his taste for success, will Shelton capitalise on this momentum heading into the US Open, or will Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner once again emerge as the front-runners? Shelton will be looking to build on his success in the coming weeks.