TORONTO : Ben Shelton secured his first-ever ATP Masters 1000-level title, beating Karen Khachanov in a brilliantly contested final to secure the Canadian Open title on Friday.

On Friday, with a tense 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory over Khachanov, Shelton became the youngest American to win an ATP Masters 1000 in two decades. Shelton rallied from 0/40, serving out the second set and then serving from behind in a tense final set, forced his third tie-break of the tournament, which he won.

Speaking after his title win, Shelton said, as quoted by ATP’s official website, “It is a surreal feeling. It has been a long week, not an easy path to the final. My best tennis came out when it mattered most. I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself.”

Shelton is the youngest American to secure the ATP Masters 1000 title since a 21-year-old Andy Roddick secured the Miami title back in 2004. With this, he has surged to world number six and fourth in the ATP Live Rankings, giving a huge boost to his ATP Finals qualification chances. The season closer will take place from November 9 to 16 onwards.

On the way to the title, Shelton overcame world number eight Alex de Minaur and world number four Taylor Fritz, reaching his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 final after securing third-set tie-break wins over Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli.

This is his third career singles title, having won titles previously in Tokyo (2023) and Houston (2024). (ANI)