Australian Alex de Minaur has been knocked out of the Canadian Open, going down in straight sets to American Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal.
One day after fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin was eliminated by top-seeded Alexander Zverev, de Minaur went down in straight sets to Shelton 6-3, 6-4, in what was a competitive match.
Zverev ousts Popyrin in Montreal
De Minaur achieved 14 winners compared to Shelton’s 22, while the Aussie also committed 28 unforced errors compared to the American’s 23.
Despite the loss, the quarterfinal appearance continues a good run of form for de Minaur, who won last month’s event in Washington DC, his 10th ATP Tour title.
De Minaur will now set his sights on the Cincinnati Open, where he is the sixth seed in a tournament that also includes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
The quarterfinal in Toronto was the first time de Minaur and Shelton had faced each other on tour.
Alex De Minaur was defeated by Ben Shelton in Toronto. (AP: The Canadian Press/Frank Gunn)
De Minaur won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening service game.
The Australian almost validated that decision in the opening game, having a breakpoint opportunity at 30-40. But Shelton’s powerful serve got him out of trouble, winning three consecutive points to hold.
De Minaur’s first service game was easier to hold, with one double fault the only blemish.
The Australian had to work much harder in his second service game, saving two break points then securing the game with an excellent backhand down the line.
The American got the first break of the match in the sixth game, taking a 4-2 lead over de Minaur.
That break was all the American needed, as he held his next two service games to take the opening set 6-3.
De Minaur would need to defy recent history to win in Toronto, with Shelton losing just once this year when taking the opening set.
The Australian had to fight to hold in the first game, only for Shelton to respond by winning his opening service game to love.
The American broke de Minaur in the third game of the second set, beginning a run of three consecutive breaks.
De Minaur bounced back to achieve his first break of Shelton for the match. But when the Australian committed a double fault on break point in the following game, the American was back in control of the set at 3-2 with the serve.
The big crowd in Toronto were treated to extended rallies as both men refused to give up on any point.
De Minaur needed another service break to stay in the match, but Shelton found a powerful rhythm to secure the win and advance to his first Masters 1000 semifinal.
Shelton has set up a semifinal showdown with fellow countryman Taylor Fritz, who defeated Andrey Rublev in straight sets in the previous match in Toronto.