Ben Shelton Underscores Major Tactical Adjustments After Reaching First Masters 1000 Final at the Canadian Open

Ben Shelton defeated fellow American Taylor Fritz in straight sets to set up a Canadian Open final clash with Karen Khachanov.

Ben Shelton Underscores Major Tactical Adjustments After Reaching First Masters 1000 Final at the Canadian Open

Ben Shelton (image via National Bank Open)

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With the withdrawal of many top-ranked players like Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Jack Draper, and Novak Djokovic from the Canadian Open, the tournament served as a good opportunity for other players to capitalize on this absence and improve their ranking and title record. Fourth seed Ben Shelton and eleventh seed Karen Khachanov have made the most of this opportunity, reaching the finals in Toronto.

For Shelton it marks his maiden Masters 1000 final. In his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal, he swept past fellow American Taylor Fritz in straight sets. The 22-year-old is also the youngest American man to reach a Masters 1000 final since Andy Roddick in 2004. At the press conference, Shelton spoke about the changes he had made to his game:

I am varying directions and changing speeds, aiming to become a much more solid player than before. I hadn’t performed well in a Masters 1000 before, so this means a lot to me. I would say that the key to my improvement is resilience. I have reached a point where I can win tough matches even when I’m not feeling my best, I’ve learned to win without playing my best tennis. Finding ways to overcome adverse situations is fantastic.

Shelton was clinical against Fritz, not being broken at all throughout the match. He entered the match with a 0-1 head-to-head record over Fritz, with the latter having won their first encounter in the round of 64 at Indian Wells 2023. In the semifinal, Shelton combined his good serve with a surprising baseline assault on return to topple Fritz. He hit seven aces and won 86% of points on his first serve. He also had 0 double faults.

Fritz, on the other hand, committed three double faults, one on match point, after which he broke his racquet. Having defeated World No. 8 Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinal, this marks the first time Shelton has beaten Top 10 players in back-to-back matches.

Ben Shelton’s maiden Masters 1000 final

Ben Shelton will meet Tokyo Olympic silver medalist Karen Khachanov in the Canadian Open final. For the Russian, it marks his second Masters 1000 final after the 2018 Paris Masters, where he defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the final. Khachanov has had a good run too in Toronto, defeating top seed Alexander Zverev in three sets in the semifinal.

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

Shelton has a 1-0 head-to-head record over Khachanov. They met earlier this year in the round of 32 at the Indian Wells Masters, where Shelton defeated him in straight sets.

Ben Shelton will move to a career-high of World No. 6 if he wins the final

Ben Shelton seeks to reach 4320 ATP points if he wins the final. This will move him to a career high of World No. 6 replacing Novak Djokovic in the rankings table. This also increases his chances for qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time. On the other hand, a victory for Khachanov means that the Russian will regain his career-high ranking of World No. 8 with 3,540 points.

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

This marks Shelton’s second final of the season after losing the BMW Open to Alexander Zverev. The American will be aiming for his third career title. He has had some good performances on hard court this year, including reaching the quarterfinal at Indian Wells and the semifinal at the Australian Open. Meanwhile, his opponent Khachanov will be aiming for his eighth career title in Toronto.

Also Read: (Video) Taylor Fritz Destroys Racket Over His Knee After Canadian Open Defeat to Ben Shelton