Ben Shelton Looks Forward to A “Tough Match” Against Karen Khachanov in the Toronto Final

Ben Shelton to face Karen Khachanov for the second time on the court at the Canadian Open final in Toronto.

Ben Shelton Looks Forward to A “Tough Match” Against Karen Khachanov in the Toronto Final

Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov (via X/The Tennis Letter/Jose Morgado)

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Ben Shelton will take on Karen Khachanov in his first Masters 1000 final of his career at the Canadian Open. The American star has played top-quality tennis on the court in Toronto, also overcoming a couple of three-set battles to reach that stage. However, his opponent, Khachanov has achieved a surprising run to the championship match.

Shelton had to battle back-to-back three-set clashes against Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli to reach the quarter-finals of the Canadian Open. He then stunned the in-form Alex de Minaur, ending his seven-match winning streak in straight sets. But going into his clash against fellow compatriot Taylor Fritz in the semi-finals, he was not the favorite to win the match.

Fritz, who’s the second seed, was a strong favorite to win the tournament. But against Shelton, the World No.4 was not at his best, as he won only 68 per cent of first-serve points. That gave Shelton the momentum, as he surprised his opponent with his tricky serve, powerful groundstrokes, and winning long rallies. He won the tie 6-4, 6-3 to reach the final of the Canadian Open.

On the other hand, Khachanov produced an outstanding display to beat Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals. Though both players hit a total of 78 unforced errors, Zverev got the larger share (44) in the match. That led the Russian star to take control of the match, beating the German star 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) to reach the final of the Canadian Open.

Shelton was asked during his press conference about his final clash against Khachanov on Thursday (August 7). The 22-year-old revealed that he looks forward to a tough match against the Russian star. He added that he loves the 29-year-old personality as he’s a ‘nice guy’ off the court:

Yeah, it’s a tough match. He’s been playing really, really good tennis this whole week. We played earlier this year, it was in Indian Wells, it was a tough match. He’s rock solid baseliner, serves really well, and great competitor. So, I love him, really nice guy, and really looking forward for that first opportunity in a Masters final.

Shelton is now seeking his biggest career title at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. Meanwhile, Khachanov is in his second Masters final, having won the Paris Masters in 2018. But, the American leads their head-to-head record 1-0 ahead of the clash, as he defeated the Russian star in the 2025 Indian Wells 6-3, 7-5 in the round of 32.

Ben Shelton hopes to follow the footsteps of Jannik Sinner at the Canadian Open

Jannik Sinner’s first major breakthrough in the ATP Tour came in 2022. The Italian star stunned the tennis world by winning the Canadian Open, the first Masters 1000 title of his career. That led to other achievements in his career. Ben Shelton is hoping for the same thing in his career as he aims to win the Canadian Open.

Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton
Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton (Image via X/Jannik Sinner, We Are Tennis)

Before the Canadian Open, the American star had never gone beyond the quarter-finals of a Masters event. He was asked during his press conference whether he hopes to follow the footsteps of Sinner at the tournament. He revealed that he looks forward to taking the step by beating Karen Khachanov in the Toronto final:

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 has been a better player since the Wimbledon Championships, where he reached the quarter-finals for the first time in his career. The former Houston champion then got to the semi-finals of the Washington Open and now the final of the Canadian Open.

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