Ben Shelton came from a set down to defeat Karen Khachanov in the Canadian Open final, securing his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 title and earning $1,124,380 in prize money.
Shelton’s prize was the largest in the history of the Canadian Open, and the 22-year-old will be full of confidence heading into the U.S. Open, which also boasts a record prize pool. Shelton lost the first set tie-break against Khachanov, moments after play was interrupted as 18-year-old Victoria Mboko beat Naomi Osaka in the women’s final.
The American battled back in the second to force a decisive set, and this time Shelton overcame Khachanov in the tie-break. It was Shelton’s first-ever ATP 1000 final, and one of his most impressive tournaments to date.
Both players fought off elite competition to reach the final, and Shelton made American history in the process. Shelton also became the youngest American man to reach a Masters 1000 final since Andy Roddick in 2004.
Shelton had only dropped one set during his route to the Canadian Open final, against Flavio Cobolli. The 22-year-old overcame top-level opponents such as Brandon Nakashima, Alex de Minaur, and Taylor Fritz.
De Minaur and Fritz are ranked inside the ATP top 10, and Shelton became the youngest American since Pete Sampras to achieve successive top 10 wins in an ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final and semifinal.
Shelton was aged 22 years and 291 days when he achieved the feat on Thursday night. Sampras was aged 20 years and 364 days when he did so at the 1992 Cincinnati Open.
It’s been a breakthrough year for Shelton, who first made a name for himself on the big stage when reaching the semifinal of the U.S. Open in 2023. He reached the semifinal of the Australian Open earlier this year and achieved his best finishes at the French Open and Wimbledon.
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“I’ve seen so many big improvements in my game this week, that’s what I’m most happy about, how I’m executing, how little I’m hesitating, how I’m returning,” Shelton said after beating Fritz on Thursday. “There are a lot of things to be proud about, and beating two top-10 guys back-to-back is huge for me.
“I’m just really excited to see myself executing like this. Not wondering if the shot is going to go in or out, but expecting it to go in.”
Khachanov beat top seed Alexander Zverev in the semifinal, as he edged a decisive set tie-break against the German. Khachanov also beat No. 8 seed Casper Ruud on his route to the final, his first at an ATP Masters 1000 event since he beat Novak Djokovic in 2018.
Shelton had only faced Khachanov once before, beating him earlier this year at Indian Wells. Now, Shelton is 2-0 against Khachanov, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 title in style.