(Video) Ben Shelton Engages in Heated Exchange with Flavio Cobolli Over ‘Gesture’ After Surviving Scare in Toronto

Ben Shelton has secured his career's second win over Flavio Cobolli to reach the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open for the first time.

(Video) Ben Shelton Engages in Heated Exchange with Flavio Cobolli Over ‘Gesture’ After Surviving Scare in Toronto

Ben Shelton, Flavio Cobolli (Image via X/Lisa, @parisianarchive, Sportsnet)

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Ben Shelton survived a scare in the fourth round of the Canadian Open. On Sunday (August 3), the American ace was up against Flavio Cobolli, who took the second set off him.

The third set was a tight affair, which eventually was extended to the tie-breaker. Once Shelton clinched the win with a 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(1) scoreline, he started to argue with Cobolli during the customary handshake.

The argument continued after Cobolli had packed his bag and was leaving the Center Court. Shelton, at one point, could be heard saying, “But we are friends?“. Cobolli tried to explain to him that everything was not always about him.

They shook hands two more times before Cobolli finally left the court. Later during the on-court interview, Shelton said he saw Cobolli making some gesture during the tie-breaker, which the Italian ace denied was directed at the fourth seed.

He just made a gesture in the tie-breaker, and I asked him about it. He said it wasn’t towards me, so we’re cool.

Here’s the video:

With this win, Shelton has booked a spot in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open for the first time in his career. Cobolli, however, has once again failed to reach the last four of a Masters 1000 tournament. Reaching the last 16 in Toronto has now become his best performance in a Masters 1000 event.

In the tournament, the 23-year-old was chasing his third title of his career, as well as his first Big Title. This year, he has won two tournaments- the Romanian Open by beating Sebastian Baez and the Hamburg Open by beating Andrey Rublev.

Ben Shelton’s feelings on his difficult match against Flavio Cobolli

Had Flavio Cobolli defeated Ben Shelton, he would have secured his career’s first top 10 win in a completed match (World No.9 Holger Rune handed him the walkover during their Madrid Open match this year). This victory gave Shelton a chance to reach the semifinal of a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career.

Ben Shelton (2)
Ben Shelton (Image via X/Joao Fonseca Updates)

His victory over Cobolli was also his career’s 100th tour-level win. This made him the eighth man born in this century to register this many wins.

Shelton has tied the head-to-head record over the World No.17 to 2-2. He is also 2-0 against Cobolli this season, as before Toronto, the 22-year-old had defeated Cobolli in the round of 32 of the Mexican Open.

Really difficult match. I was down and out, being a break down in the third, the way he was playing. I gave myself a second chance, and I did a good job with it, kind of running from there. A really difficult opponent for me, someone who’s gotten me in three sets after I’ve won the first set twice.

Ben Shelton said during his on-court interview

Shelton has another challenge in front of him in the form of ninth seed Alex de Minaur. The Aussie knocked out Frances Tiafoe to schedule his career’s first head-to-head meeting against Shelton.

Like Shelton, de Minaur is also chasing his career’s first Masters 1000 title. He is a former finalist at the Canadian Open, reaching the stage in 2023, and losing that match to World No.1 Jannik Sinner.

While Shelton has reached just one final this season (in Munich, but lost the match to home favorite Alexander Zverev), de Minaur has played two finals and won the Washington Open by beating Alejandro Davidovich Fokina. He played his first final this season at the Rotterdam Open, where five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz denied him the win.

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