Canadian Open 2025: Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz Set Up All-American Semi-final In Toronto

Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton will face off for a place in the Canadian Open final.

Fritz, who is in the hunt for his third Tour-level title of 2025, downed Andrey Rublev 6-3 7-6 (7-4) on Tuesday.

The world number four held match point on serve at 5-4 up in the second set, yet a 42nd straight hold slipped through his grasp as Rublev broke to level.

Second seed Fritz, though, regained his composure to oust the 2024 Canadian Open runner-up.

His reward is a semi-final against compatriot Shelton, who ended Alex de Minaur's seven-match winning run.

Shelton, who served 13 aces, prevailed 6-3 6-4 and would move above Novak Djokovic and into the top six in the world rankings should he claim the title in Toronto.

But first, he must get past Fritz in what will be the first meeting between two American players in the semi-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament since 2010.

"Really excited," Shelton said of facing Fritz, who has won 13 matches against players ranked in the top 20 since last year's US Open, a tally that trails only Jannik Sinner (24), Carlos Alcaraz (22) and Alexander Zverev (14).

"I played him right when I came out on Tour. We had a great battle in Indian Wells [in 2023]. He's a big-match player. He's been carrying the flag for the United States in the big tournaments as of late.

"He's clutch, serves well. We're great friends, and it's a match that I'm really excited about.”

Data Debrief: Opposites attract

At the age of 27 years and 272 days, Fritz is the oldest American man to reach his first semi-final at the Canadian Open since Mardy Fish (29 years, 242 days) in 2011. 

Shelton, on the other hand, is the youngest American man to reach the semi-finals of an ATP Masters 1000 event since Andy Roddick at Indian Wells in 2005.

He is the fourth man born in the 21st century to reach the semi-finals at the Canadian Open, after Sinner (2023), Sebastian Korda and Matteo Arnaldi (2024).