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

Ben Shelton has tied his head-to-head record over Taylor Fritz to 1-1 after knocking him out of the Canadian Open.

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

Taylor Fritz broke his racket after defeat to Ben Shelton (Image via TNT Sports, Jose Morgado, Tennis TV)

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Ben Shelton has secured a spot in the final of a Masters 1000 title for the first time in his career. On Wednesday (August 6) at the Canadian Open, he beat compatriot Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 in what was also a first all-American Masters 1000 semifinal since 2010.

Fritz was chasing his second Masters 1000 title. Like Shelton, the 27-year-old also played the Canadian Open semifinal for the first time in his career. Frustrations got the better of Fritz in his match against Shelton, as right after his defeat, Fritz broke his racket over his knees before approaching the net for the customary handshake.

Watch the video here:

In the tournament, Fritz was chasing his third title of the season. The two titles that he won came in ATP 250 events on grass- in Stuttgart and Eastbourne. Fritz last lifted a trophy in the 500 or above category at the 2022 Japan Open. The lone Masters 1000 title that he has captured was the 2022 Indian Wells by beating 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal.

Shelton is a two-time ATP titlist. The only title of the 500 or above category that he has lifted is the 2023 Japan Open.

Since then, he has made it to two finals of the 500 category, at the 2024 Swiss Indoors and this year’s Munich Open, losing both to Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard and Alexander Zverev, respectively. The 2024 U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships is the last title the 22-year-old lifted by beating compatriot Frances Tiafoe.

Ben Shelton registers consecutive top 10 wins for the first time

Ben Shelton, for the first time in his career, has secured back-to-back top 10 wins. Prior to knocking out Taylor Fritz, Shelton beat this year’s Citi Open champion, Alex de Minaur, in the quarterfinals in their career’s first meeting.

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

I’ve seen so many big improvements in my game this week, that’s what I’m most happy about, how I’m executing, how little I’m hesitating, how I’m returning. There are a lot of things to be proud about, and beating two top 10 guys back to back is huge for me.

Ben Shelton said during his on-court interview

Shelton has now tied his head-to-head record against the 2024 US Open finalist to 1-1. Before this tournament, Shelton had made it to three quarterfinals of three different Masters 1000s, including in this year’s Indian Wells.

Ben Shelton will face Karen Khachanov next

Shelton’s opponent in the championship clash is Karen Khachanov, the Russian ace, who knocked out former champion Alexander Zverev in three sets and improved his head-to-head record to 3-5. Zverev was chasing his second title of the season following his BMW Open victory.

Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton (Image via X/Jose Morgado)

Apart from Munich and Stuttgart, the three-time Grand Slam finalist had also played the Australian Open final but failed to beat four-time Grand Slam champion Jannik Sinner. The last Masters 1000 title he lifted was the 2024 Paris Masters.

Khachanov has only one Masters 1000 trophy under his belt- the 2018 Paris Masters, which he won by beating 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. Since then, he has never booked a spot in a final of a Masters 1000 tournament until this tournament. It’s also his first final of the season.

Last year, he had played three finals, winning the Qatar Open and the Almaty Open by beating Jakub Mensik and Gabriel Diallo, respectively. Then he suffered a straight-set defeat to Jack Draper in the Vienna Open final. Against Shelton, the 29-year-old holds a 0-1 head-to-head record as he lost in straight sets when they met in the third round of this year’s Indian Wells.

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