Ben Shelton is into his first-ever Masters 1000 final, having toppled his compatriot Taylor Fritz to get there.
It has been a mesmeric run from the young American, who is enjoying an unprecedented run of form unlike anything he has experienced thus far in his career.
After all, not only is he defeating some of the world’s very best players, but he has found a consistency that has at times eluded him.
A player brimming with talent, who simply loves the big occasion, it feels like this will undeniably be his finest opportunity to claim such an elite piece of silverware, having capitalised on the absence of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic in Toronto.
That should not detract from his run though, with last night’s win over Taylor Fritz a huge moment for him not just in this tournament, but in his career. Now, a golden opportunity looms.
Ben Shelton explains how he beat Taylor Fritz in Canadian Open semifinals
Ben Shelton, speaking to reporters, unsurprisingly beamed as he analysed his win over Fritz.
After all, it marked yet another top-ten win to add to his resume, as the second seed was powerless to stop his ruthless combinations that prevented him from playing his game.
Asked about his plan heading into the match, Shelton admitted: “Yeah, I think for me it was about keeping him moving, keeping him off balance. Mixing up the way that I play, but playing within my limits, and being really solid. He makes a lot of balls, he hits a big ball, and if he’s on his front foot all the time, he’s a tough guy to beat. So that was my plan, and my execution was really, really good tonight.”
The 22-year-old would then expand on his success in those longer rallies, continuing: “Yeah, playing back-to-back guys like Demon and Taylor, and having so much success in the long rallies like the stats showed, is a big confidence builder for me.
“Last night I did it with a little bit more slower, off-pace stuff. Today I had more of my higher-end, attacking tennis. Yeah, I’m really happy that I kind of showed that, depending upon matchup, who I’m playing, I can do both.”
Given his current form, Shelton’s Grand Slam prediction about American tennis seems most likely to be proven correct by himself.
Ben Shelton reaches the biggest final of his career in Toronto
This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the biggest final of Shelton’s career.
After all, whilst he has played in Grand Slam semifinals and won ATP titles elsewhere, to beat Karen Khachanov in Friday’s showdown would finally add an event of this magnitude to his already impressive trophy cabinet.
Not only that, but it would mark his first of the year, having been beaten in the only other final he has featured in, in Munich.
Shelton’s only two ATP titles came in 2023 in Tokyo and 2024 in Houston.
Now, the Canadian Open could be his, if he can just maintain his form and overcome a lower-ranked opponent in the final.
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