Ben Shelton Reveals He’s “Comfortable” About His Evolution Following His Quarter-Finals Win Over Alex de Minaur in Toronto

Ben Shelton to face Taylor Fritz for the second time on the court in the semi-final of the Canadian Open.

Ben Shelton Reveals He’s “Comfortable” About His Evolution Following His Quarter-Finals Win Over Alex de Minaur in Toronto

Ben Shelton and Alex de Minaur (via X/The Tennis Letter)

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Ben Shelton continued his impressive form at the Canadian Open as he defeated Alex de Minaur in straight sets to reach the semi-finals of the ATP Masters tournament for the first time in his career. The American star ended the ninth seed’s seven-match winning streak which began at the Washington Open.

De Minaur won the Washington Open and was the better in-form player ahead of the clash, but his poor display led to his downfall against Shelton. The Australian star hit 28 unforced errors, which let his opponent to capitalize on the errors, while also serving 13 aces and eight forehand winners.

Shelton was at his best on the court as he leveraged his monster serve and high forehand shots, which pushed De Minaur deep into his baseline. Also, most of the points he won were from the long rallies between them, edging the Aussie 12-7 in rallies of nine or more shots in the match.

The former Houston champion claimed a comfortable 6-3, 6-4 win over the 26-year-old to reach the last four of the Canadian Open. It is his fourth semi-final of the season and first in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament this year. Also, with the victory, he’s now seventh in ATP Live Race to Turin.

After the match, he revealed that he’s now highly confident in his game despite other players seeing him as just a good server. He added that as his game evolves on the court, and he’s not in a rush about the process:

I served confidently for sets, and I am very happy to reach the semi-finals. A lot of guys see me as just a server and not as much as a baseliner. Psychologically, when I get into a match and go into lockdown mode and put a million balls in the court, my rally ball does come with a good bit of weight and I feel I surprise guys at times. Being able to win the longer rallies and be comfortable in my own skin and not feeling like I’m rushing to make something happen is a huge part of my evolution.

Shelton has been in his best shape on the court since the Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the quarter-finals. He continued with it at the Washington Open and got to the semi-finals. The 22-year-old has kept the momentum going at Toronto as he had to endure a difficult back-to-back three-set victory over Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli, and now a victory over De Minaur at the Canadian Open.

Ben Shelton to face Taylor Fritz next for a place in the final of the Canadian Open

Ben Shelton is now set to overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings following his run at the Canadian Open. The American star is ranked World No.7 and will climb one place, leapfrogging Djokovic to reach a career-high position of No.6.

Ben Shelton Canadian Open 2025
Ben Shelton (image via National Bank Open)

However, the 22-year-old is focused on his all-American clash with Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals in Toronto. He revealed ahead of the tie that he’s excited about the challenge he will face against his fellow compatriot:

Yeah, really excited. I played him right when I came out on tour. We had a great battle in Indian Wells… He’s a big-match player. He’s been carrying the flag for the United States in the big tournaments as of late. He’s clutch, serves well. We’re great friends, and it’s a match that I’m really excited about.

Shelton is now the youngest American to reach the semi-finals of a WTA 1000 tournament since Andy Roddick at the 2005 Indian Wells. The 22-year-old has won just two titles in his career and will hope to claim his third in Toronto.

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