American men’s tennis star Ben Shelton bested Karen Khachanov in a thrilling three-set final on Thursday night. The win moves Shelton to ATP World No. 6, making him the youngest American to reach that rank in over two decades.
Khachanov ‘s return to form was overshadowed by Shelton’s persistence. After losing the first set in a tie break, the American rallied to win the two remaining sets. The final score was 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3).
“It’s a surreal feeling,” Shelton said. “It’s been a long week, not an easy path to the final. My best tennis came out when it mattered most. I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself.”
Shelton arguably outlasted the hardest draw of the tournament on his journey to victory. The young American faced Adrian Mannarino, Brandon Nakashima, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and, in the end, Karen Khachanov.
“He went for his shots, trusted the work that he’s put in, and he executed,” said Bryan Shelton, his father and coach. “Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t. But it’s always nice when you can leave a tournament and hold a trophy up in your hands because it’s rare.”
With the U.S. Open starting on August 24, now is as good as ever to secure a big trophy and boost confidence for the young American. Shelton is 32-16 on the year, according to the ATP. As the U.S. Open approaches, the young star is confident his game can continue to improve.
“I hope that this week kind of kick-starts me and gets me more consistent with the type of tennis that I want to play day-in and day-out,” Shelton said.
“It’s certainly going to push me to work harder. I feel like I have a good grasp now on the things that really work for me against guys who are playing some of the best tennis in the world, and the things that I need to continue to work on.”
Both Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz opted not to play in Toronto this year and to focus on preparations ahead of the US Open, leaving the field in Toronto open for Shelton to make a run.
Canadian teenager Victoria Mboko also made headlines on Thursday night, beating Naomi Osaka in three sets to become a hometown champion in Montreal.
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