Ben Shelton Hopes Canadian Open Victory Will Be a 'Foundation' for More Success on the Court

Ben Shelton claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title after overcoming Karen Khachanov in three sets in the Canadian Open final. The American star had won just two titles previously in his career ahead of the final, both coming in ATP 250 and 500-level events, respectively. He now believes that winning the Toronto Masters will be a springboard for other big titles in the future.

Before the Canadian Open, Shelton’s best ATP 1000 run was just three quarter-final appearances. But in Toronto, he broke the curse, defeating Washington Open champion Alex de Minaur to reach his first semi-finals, and then went on to stun his fellow compatriot Taylor Fritz to reach the final.

In the final against Khachanov, the 22-year-old showed his mental toughness by his ability to rebound from adversity. He did that especially in the second set, when he was down 3-4 (0/40) and Khachanov was two games away from winning the match. He produced a string of great service games to take the lead and eventually win the set.

In the third set, he displayed the same cutting-edge serve, forcing Khachanov to retreat deep into his baseline. He went on to claim a 6(5)-7, 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over the 2018 Paris Masters champion.

He now becomes the sixth American player to win a Masters 1000 title before turning 23. He joins the elite group of Andre Agassi, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, and Andy Roddick. He revealed during his press conference that he would be aiming to build on the Canadian Open victory:

I think each player is different, and each one writes their story in their own way. I still have many references to look up to for the success they have had in each tournament, and also, tennis is a sport where you continually see young players’ successes, which is impressive. I hope this week signifies the beginning of being very consistent in my game and showing the type of style I want to play. I want it to be a foundation to know what I need to keep working on.

Shelton has now extended his lead over Khachanov in their head-to-head record to 2-0. He had defeated the Russian star in their first meeting at the Indian Wells. The American is also projected to face Khachanov in the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open, and will face either Kei Nishikori or Camilo Ugo Carabelli in the opening match.

Ben Shelton reveals one major lesson he has learnt following the Toronto Masters

Following the Canadian Open triumph, Ben Shelton will move ahead of Novak Djokovic in the ATP rankings. He will leapfrog the Serbian legend to become the World No.6, a career-high ranking. Next on for the American star is the Cincinnati Open, where he will just defend only 200 points as he reached the quarter-finals last year.