Ben Shelton produced a superb performance to defeat Adrian Mannarino at the Canadian Open.
On Wednesday, the 22-year-old American comfortably dispatched his French opponent, winning 6-2 6-3 in Toronto.
Shelton, who is bidding for his first Masters 1000 title, has established himself as a top 10 player in 2025, while reaching two Grand Slam semi-finals in the last year.
He is one of the brightest talents on the ATP Tour, and he will be looking to achieve even more than he already has when the US Open rolls around in August.
Returning to the present, Shelton’s victory over Mannarino marked a significant moment in his career; one that can be compared to former US Open champion Andy Roddick.
Ben Shelton rivals Andy Roddick
Shelton’s victory over Mannarino marked an important moment in the 22-year-old’s career.
As per OptaAce, Ben Shelton is the youngest American to achieve 25 ATP Masters 1000 match wins since Andy Roddick.
Shelton achieved this feat while aged 22 years and 291 days. Roddick achieved the same feat at 19 years and 340 days while competing at the 2002 Cincinnati Open.
At that tournament, Roddick beat Michel Kratochvil, Nicolas Kiefer and Wayne Ferreira on his way to the quarter-final stage.
He then lost to Chile’s Fernando Gonzalez, 6-7 6-7.
Shelton, who has risen to number seven in the world, will be hoping to achieve even more than Roddick did at the Canadian Open this week.
Ben Shelton’s serving masterclass
Ben Shelton’s serving prowess is well-recognised across the tennis scene. However, his performance against Mannarino was particularly impressive.
The American won a remarkable 91 per cent of his first serve points, while also winning 61 per cent of his second serve points.
To make matters worse for Mannarino, the 22-year-old fired down 16 aces.
Shelton’s next opponent, compatriot Brandon Nakashima, will have to return extremely well if he is to claim victory.
The winner of Shelton and Nakashima will face either Flavio Cobolli or Fabian Marozsan in the Canadian Open fourth round.
