At just 22, Ben Shelton is charging through the ATP ranks with fire in his belly and titles already to his name. Ranked inside the top ten, he’s far from satisfied. “I know that I’m not where I want to be. That’s kind of what I’m focusing on,” he admitted after his Wimbledon quarterfinal exit. Refusing to back down, he stormed into Washington’s semis, then punched his ticket to the Canadian Open semifinals, where he now locks horns with Taylor Fritz, who just reached the semis, beating Andrey Rublev. And as the drought-breaking showdown between two top Americans brews, Shelton makes no secret of his hunger for the big stage.
Ben Shelton blasted his way into the Nitto ATP Finals cut with a thundering performance in Toronto, snapping Alex de Minaur’s seven-match winning streak under the night lights. Using his explosive serve and that wickedly high-kicking forehand, the American lefty dismantled the Aussie 6-3, 6-4 in a commanding display that stood in stark contrast to his nail-biting third-set tie-break wins over Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli earlier in the week.
With this straight-sets triumph, Shelton didn’t just punch his ticket to his first Masters semi-final; he cracked a 32-year drought for American men at the Canadian Open. The fire is lit, the storm is here, and Shelton’s rise just scorched through history.
Right after his thunderous win over Alex de Minaur, a wave of pride swept across American tennis fans. The official X page for OptaAce lit up with a stat that hit home: “Two Americans (Ben Shelton-Taylor Fritz) will meet in an ATP Masters 1000 SF for the first time since Cincinnati in 2010 (Mardy Fish-Andy Roddick), and at the Canadian Open since 1993 (Todd Martin-Richey Reneberg). Pair.” A historic moment, now reborn in the hands of a new generation.
2 – Two Americans (Ben Shelton-Taylor Fritz) will meet in an ATP Masters 1000 SF for the first time since Cincinnati in 2010 (Mardy Fish-Andy Roddick), and at the Canadian Open since 1993 (Todd Martin-Richey Reneberg). Pair.#NBO25 | @NBOtoronto @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/pFjLQiX1C0
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 6, 2025
When asked about the showdown with de Minaur, Shelton didn’t hold back. “I am really happy with that performance for sure. I think it showed a lot of mental toughness.” The Aussie had been a nightmare on practice courts, breaking Shelton “a billion times,” but on the big stage, the American lefty stood tall and unmoved.
“I found I was solid from start to finish by the way that I played,” he added. “He’s a really tough match-up group me, so the point the way I did, how solid I was, how confident I was to serve out the sets gives me a lot of confidence and I am really excited about this chance of the semi-final.” And now, he’s ready for the next storm.
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