Ben Shelton has made history by reaching a career-high No. 6 in the world and becoming the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion in two decades. His dramatic win over Karen Khachanov at the Canadian Open on the morning of August 8 in Toronto confirmed the 22-year-old's status.
Shelton is considered one of the top young players with great potential in tennis. He showed his resilience and decisiveness in his first Masters 1000 final to win a thrilling match with the score of 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3).
Shelton becomes 2025 Canadian Open champion (Photo: Getty).
The highlight of the match was Shelton's impressive comeback. He saved three break points from 0-40 down in the second set and then, in the deciding set, forced Khachanov into a third tie-break, where he won his 14th consecutive point of serve to seal the match.
“It was a strange feeling. It was a long week, the road to the final was not easy. My best tennis came at the most important time. I was excellent, persistent and tenacious. I have all those qualities, I want to see in myself," Shelton shared after the match.
With this title, Shelton became the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion since Andy Roddick, 21, won the Miami title in 2004. More importantly, he rose to fourth place in the ATP Live Race to Turin, thereby increasing his chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals from November 9 to November 16.
Shelton overcame a number of strong opponents on his way to the final, including No. 8 Alex de Minaur and No. 4 Taylor Fritz. He also won a third-set tiebreaker against Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli. This is the third title of Shelton's career, following victories in Tokyo 2023 and Houston 2024.
The match was extremely tense, reflecting the balance between the two players. Both players won 49 points in the first set, 29 points in the second. In the deciding set, Shelton won 36 points compared to Khachanov's 31.
Shelton had an impressive comeback (Photo: Getty).
Khachanov initially hit 10 forehand winners in the opening set, pushing Shelton back deep behind the baseline. However, on the advice of coach Bryan, Shelton gradually moved up the court in the second and third sets to gain a stronger offensive position.
Shelton said of his father's advice: “He was right. Karen was bullying me all over the court. The way he hit his forehand tonight, his slice, his serve, it felt like a freight train was coming at me. So it was hard to get forward. The ball was coming at me even faster.
“But I started to be able to change direction, hit big shots, and turn the game around. That was very important to me. I liked the way he coached me, he used to let me decide things for myself and give me a lot of suggestions. He knows me better than anyone in the world, so he was qualified to give me those suggestions.”
Shelton currently leads Khachanov 2-0 in the head-to-head series, having also beaten the 29-year-old at Indian Wells earlier this year. The two players are seeded to meet in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open.
Shelton is now 32-16 this year. Khachanov saved a match point against Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, dropping his record to 27-17. However, he has moved up four spots to No. 12 in the ATP rankings.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nguoc-dong-ha-khachanov-shelton-vo-dich-canadian-open-20250808144322661.htm
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