Ben Shelton has delivered his immediate reaction to reaching the biggest final of his career thus far.
The last week has been inarguably one of the American’s most consistent runs to date, as he has stormed through many elite-level opponents at the Canadian Open.
Naturally, seeing Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic withdraw from Toronto will have boosted the confidence of everyone within the draw, but it is the 22-year-old who seems poised to profit.
That is, if he can bypass Karen Khachanov in the final, who does have experience of reaching a Masters 1000 final, even if it came over six years ago.
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Ben Shelton should be brimming with confidence though, especially after brushing aside his higher-ranked compatriot Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals.
He has now been asked about what the effects of this tournament might have on him in the long term.
Ben Shelton reacts to reaching the Canadian Open final
Speaking to reporters in Toronto after last night’s win, he was under no illusions about the importance of not just this win, but his entire event.
After all, even if he is to lose in the final, it will remain a landmark week for Shelton, who continues to add to his impressive list of achievements.
Asked if he felt in a good position to follow in the footsteps of Jannik Sinner, who is one of many to have used the Canadian Open as a stepping stone for future success, he replied: “Yeah, it’s huge. Talked about how the Masters were the one level of tournaments that I’ve been struggling with, and my next step is being able to excel in these tournaments. So taking that first step and getting my first deep run under my belt is exciting.”
Shelton then went on to outline what he has done over the tournament which has impressed him most, admitting: “For me, just resilience. Tonight, things were easier because everything was clicking. But the bigger wins are the wins where everything’s not clicking. Finding a way to get through those tough matches where I’m down a break in the third, or the other guy’s serving for the match, where I could be out of the tournament, those are the ones that are really special for me.”
Ben Shelton’s head-to-head record vs Karen Khachanov
Looking back at Shelton’s history against Khachanov, it should provide the American with plenty to be positive about, given he has never lost to his fellow finalist.
That being said, they have only met once, albeit in a different Masters 1000 event.
Alas, a win is a win, and it was an impressive one to boot, sweeping aside the Russian in straight sets at Indian Wells.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
He has already proven his ability to succeed against Khachanov at a tournament of this magnitude, but we are yet to see how Shelton reacts to competing in a final of such a competition.
This is all very new for the youngster, but he has more than enough talent to claim the biggest title of his career on Friday night.