Shelton sets up all-American final with Nakashima in Montreal

American tennis player Ben Shelton has advanced to the final of the Montreal Masters 1000 tournament after a commanding victory over his compatriot Learner Tien. Shelton secured his spot in the championship match with a decisive 6-2, 6-3 win.

Shelton, the reigning champion of the event, needed just 84 minutes to overcome Tien, who had previously eliminated Spain's Daniel Mérida in the quarterfinals. This victory marked Shelton's 100th career win on hard courts, a significant milestone achieved at the young age of 23.

He is set to compete in his tenth ATP tour final, aiming for his seventh career title. Shelton has a strong record against American opponents, boasting a 16-3 win-loss record since the beginning of 2025. His path to the final was largely untroubled, despite a brief medical interruption in the second set where he sustained minor injuries to his elbow and left hand after colliding with a wall.

In the final, Shelton will face another American, Brandon Nakashima. Shelton has a dominant head-to-head record against Nakashima, having won all five previous encounters, losing only one set. Nakashima reached the final by defeating Spain's Rafael Jódar 7-6(3), 6-4, marking his first Masters 1000 final appearance.