Montreal, August 12: Ben Shelton secured his spot in the semifinals of the Canadian Open by defeating Jacob Mensik with a score of 6-3, 6-1. The 23-year-old American has impressively won four consecutive sets in this year’s ATP Masters 1000 event.
Shelton recorded 18 winners and made only three unforced errors, winning 89% of his first-serve points. Remarkably, he faced no break points throughout the match.
After his victory, Shelton expressed, “I felt great. I was very pleased with my return game. The way I played from the ground, point one, is where I want to be. I think the level I maintained throughout the match was really high. I’m very happy with my performance and hope to continue this in the semifinals.”
As the only remaining top-10 player in the Montreal draw, Shelton will face 12th-seeded American Learner Tien. The upcoming semifinal promises to be thrilling, as Tien has historically had the upper hand in their encounters, leading the head-to-head 2-0. Tien previously defeated Shelton in the second round at Indian Wells earlier this year.
Tien advanced to the semifinals after defeating Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-2 in just one hour and 12 minutes. This marks Tien’s first appearance in a Masters 1000 semifinal at the age of 20.
He has also reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and Indian Wells, and secured his first clay-court title in Geneva.
Regarding his upcoming match with Shelton, Tien commented, “No matter how Ben feels, he serves well. He hits big balls from the baseline. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now. I watched him play this morning, and he looked really good.”
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