Ben Shelton defends Canadian Open championship

Ben Shelton successfully defended his title at the Canadian Open on Thursday, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima, 6-3, 7-6(4), in Montreal. It’s Shelton’s second ATP 1000 tournament win.

He became the seventh man in the Open era to go back-to-back in the event. Rafael Nadal was the last to win in both Toronto and Montreal — the men’s and women’s tournaments alternate sites each year — in 2018-19.

Shelton didn’t drop a set in six matches against top-75 opponents. After a bye in the first round, he defeated No. 74 Jenson Brooksby, 6-3, 7-5, in the round of 64 and No. 34 Zizou Bergs, 6-3, 6-2, in the round of 32. No. 27 Joao Fonesca fell, 6-3, 7-6(3), sending Shelton to the quarterfinals, where he beat No. 17 Jakub Mensik, 6-3, 6-1.

The semifinal between Shelton and Learner Tien, served as a revenge match of sorts. The last time the two faced off was at Indian Wells, a Masters 1000 tournament, and Tien upset Shelton. This time, the former Gator emerged victorious in dominant fashion, 6-2, 6-3.

Shelton had struggled in Masters 1000s all year, coming into the Canadian Open with a 1-4 record, including four straight losses. Despite winning an ATP 500 tournament (Dallas) and an ATP 250 tournament (Munich), Shelton had seen several early exits since falling to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open — in January. Most notably, he was knocked out in the round of 64 at Roland Garros and suffered a first-round loss at Wimbledon.

Throughout the season, Shelton has held on to his top 10 ranking, but hopes of cracking the top five began to dwindle with each disappointing outcome. Winning the Canadian Open granted Shelton 1,000 points, vaulting him up four spots to No. 4.

He now moves on to Cincinnati for another 1,000-point event. Shelton made it to the quarterfinals a year ago, so there are points at stake. Coming off a championship run can lead to some extra fatigue, but he’ll have two weeks to recover and a first-round bye.

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This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Ben Shelton defends Canadian Open championship