Ben Shelton beats Taylor 6-4, 6-3 in an all-American semi-final
22-year-old enters maiden ATP Masters 1000 final
To meet Karen Khachanov, who prevailed over Alexander Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz were both on the end of semi-final defeats as Karen Khachanov and Ben Shelton set up a showdown at the Canadian Open.
Shelton came out on top in an all-American semi-final against second seed Fritz, winning 6-4 6-3.
The 22-year-old is into his first ATP Masters 1000 final, and should he win the title, Shelton will rise up to number six in the world rankings, above Novak Djokovic.
"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," Shelton said.
"There are a lot of things to be proud about and beating two Top 10 guys back to back is huge for me."
Zverev's frustrating season rolled on as he went down 6-3 4-6 7-6 (7-4) to Khachanov, who beat the top seed at a Tour-level event for the first time in his career.
World number three Zverev led 3-1 in deciding tie-breaker, yet Khachanov – who had earlier saved a match point – rallied back to reach his first final of 2025, and his first Masters 1000-level showpiece match since 2018. That gap of six years and 276 days is the longest a player has gone between reaching such finals.
Data Debrief: Young gun Shelton firing up
With a home grand slam just around the corner, Shelton is warming up nicely, and victory in Toronto would certainly prove his credentials ahead of the US Open.
Shelton is the youngest American to achieve successive ATP top 10 wins in a Masters 1000 quarter-final and semi-final since Pete Sampras (20 years, 364 days) in Cincinnati in 1992.
He has also become the youngest American to reach an ATP Masters 1000 final since Andy Roddick (21 years, 330 days) in Toronto in 2004.
