Ben Shelton Sends ‘War’ Warning to ‘Dawg’ Alex de Minaur Ahead of Canadian Open Quarterfinal Clash

Ben Shelton will be locking horns with Alex de Minaur for the first time in his career.

Ben Shelton Sends ‘War’ Warning to ‘Dawg’ Alex de Minaur Ahead of Canadian Open Quarterfinal Clash

Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, TENNIS)

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Ben Shelton has booked a spot in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open for the first time in his career. On Sunday (August 3), he survived a scare against Italian ace Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round.

Shelton’s quarterfinal opponent is Alex de Minaur. The Aussie overcame Frances Tiafoe to schedule his career’s first match against the American ace. At the press conference after his victory over Cobolli, Shelton said he is expecting nothing but a tough challenge from the ninth seed.

Yeah, he’s a dawg. I’m ready for it. And for people who haven’t heard that saying, that’s a good thing. He’s very fast. He’s in a great rhythm…you saw what he did in DC. He’s a great front-runner, and you can never count him out when he’s down.

De Minaur has played two finals this season so far, both in ATP 500 events. At the Rotterdam Open, he lost in three sets to five-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz. But before arriving in Toronto, he denied Alejandro Davidovich Fokina his career’s first title by saving three championship points in the Citi Open final.

So I’m prepared for a war. I’m really excited. It’s our first matchup. We’ve had some practice, some competitive practice sets. He puts it on the line in practice as well…that’s one of the things that I love about him.

Ben Shelton added

De Minaur hasn’t yet won a Masters 1000 title. He came close to lifting the 2023 Canadian Open but failed to cross the final hurdle in the form of four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner.

Shelton, too, hasn’t yet tasted success in a Masters 1000 tournament. He is also aiming to reach a final in this category for the first time in his career.

This season, he has played just one final so far- at the Munich Open, losing that match to Alexander Zverev. The 22-year-old also hasn’t yet won a title in the 500 or above category since his 2023 Japan Open win.

Ben Shelton claims the level of tennis is suffering due to 12-day tournaments

The ATP and the WTA want to expand the 1000 category tournaments to 12 days. The ATP has already turned seven of the nine Masters 1000 into a 12-day event- the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Masters being the new additions.

Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner
Aryna Sabalenka, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, Novak Djokovic, We Are Tennis France)

But the result of the Canadian Open’s expansion was this: several top players decided to withdraw from the tournament, including Aryna Sabalenka, Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz. Ben Shelton, following his fourth-round win, suggested that players won’t be able to display their best performance because an off day between matches can break their match rhythm.

The difficult part, you know, these two-week tournaments you’re playing two matches, three-set matches, and you’re getting a day off in between, which everyone talks about in the locker room now, the level of tennis suffers.

Ben Shelton said at the press conference

These aforementioned top players will be participating in the Cincinnati Masters to kick-start their campaign on the North American hard-court swing. The Cincinnati Masters will be their first tournament since their Wimbledon campaigns.

Sabalenka and Sinner will enter the tournament as the defending champions. Last year, the Belarusian ace defeated home favorite Jessica Pegula, while the Italian ace also denied home favorite Frances Tiafoe the title. Djokovic skipped the tournament last year and last lifted a title in 2023 by beating Alcaraz, who hasn’t yet won the trophy here.

Following Cincinnati, the two World No.1s will be aiming to defend their US Open title. Last year, Sinner beat Taylor Fritz, while Sabalenka beat Pegula.

Also read: Jasmine Paolini Puts Down Rumors of Collaborations With Goran Ivanisevic After Rough Patch