Shelton Repeats as Canadian Masters Champion After Dominant Run

American tennis player Ben Shelton has once again claimed the Canadian Masters title, successfully defending his championship in Montreal. In a repeat of last year's final, the 23-year-old defeated fellow American Brandon Nakashima in a hard-fought match, winning 6-3, 7-6 (4).

This victory marks Shelton's first time successfully defending a title on the ATP Tour and his second consecutive win at the Canadian Masters, a tournament that alternates between Toronto and Montreal. As the fifth seed, Shelton had a flawless run through the tournament, not dropping a single set in any of his six matches. This marks his seventh career title and his fourth of the current year, adding to his wins in Dallas, Munich, and Stuttgart.

With this latest triumph, Shelton is projected to climb to world number six in the ATP rankings. His consecutive wins at the Canadian Masters place him in an exclusive club alongside Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Rafael Nadal, who are the only other players to have achieved this feat in the 21st century. Murray won in 2009 and 2010, Djokovic in 2011 and 2012, and Nadal in 2018 and 2019.

Shelton expressed his elation after the match, stating, "Playing like I did here, without losing a set... it shows the hard work I've put in and my mental strength. I managed to focus this week, even though the season hasn't been easy. I'm playing at the extreme limit of my abilities. I have no words."

The final was the first all-American Masters final in 23 years, since Andy Roddick faced Mardy Fish in Cincinnati in 2003. In Canada, the last all-American final was in 1995 when Andre Agassi defeated Pete Sampras. Despite Nakashima's strong start, including four aces in the opening game, Shelton broke serve in the seventh game to take the first set. The second set went to a tiebreak, where Shelton ultimately prevailed after nearly an hour and a half of play. Nakashima, currently ranked 31st, achieved his best career result at a Masters 1000 event.

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Playing like I did here, without losing a set... it shows the hard work I've put in and my mental strength. I managed to focus this week, even though the season hasn't been easy. I'm playing at the extreme limit of my abilities. I have no words.