Shelton vs Khachanov: Toronto final after defeating Fritz and Zverev

Ben Shelton Advances to the National Bank Open Final After Defeating Taylor Fritz

In an exciting American semifinal at the National Bank Open, Ben Shelton, seeded number four, achieved a resounding victory over Taylor Fritz, the second seed, with a score of 6-4, 6-3. Shelton demonstrated an excellent performance on the hard court, securing his place in the final of the Masters 1000 tournament. In the final, Shelton will face Russian Karen Khachanov, the eleventh seed, who previously defeated the top favorite, Alexander Zverev of Germany, in a close match that ended with a score of 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (4).

“I’ve seen a lot of significant 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 subtracting,” Shelton commented. “There are a lot of things to be proud of, and beating two top 10 players in a row is huge for me.”
Ben Shelton

Shelton, 22, is looking for his third title on the ATP circuit. Previously, he achieved victories in Tokyo in 2023 and in Houston last year, both on hard courts.

“I’m very excited to see myself executing like this, without wondering if the shot will go in or out, but rather expecting it to go in,” Shelton expressed.
Ben Shelton

For his part, Fritz, 26, has ten victories in his career, including wins this year in Stuttgart and Eastbourne, both on grass. The start of the match between Shelton and Fritz was delayed 15 minutes due to a problem with the electronic line calling system. Khachanov, winner of seven tour titles, managed to survive a match point.

“Today was very close,” said Khachanov. “I was about to lose the match. If the ball touches the net and falls, we wouldn’t be talking now.”
Karen Khachanov

Zverev, champion in 2017 with 24 titles to his name, currently holds the number 3 position in the world.