Ben Shelton is through to the Canadian Open semi-finals after defeating Alex de Minaur in straight sets.
The big-serving American snapped the Australian’s eight-match win streak, which included a 10th ATP Tour title victory at the Washington Open.
Shelton has risen up the ATP rankings in the last year, securing his place as the world’s seventh-best player.
The 22-year-old has been emphatic in securing victory upon taking a one-set lead in matches, rarely surrendering control upon gaining an advantageous position.
However, there was one match this year where Shelton did take a one-set lead, only to eventually lose in three sets.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina’s comeback win against Ben Shelton
Ben Shelton and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina met for the second time in their careers at the 2025 Monte Carlo Masters.
The pair first contested an ATP Tour match at the 2023 Paris Masters. This contest was won by Davidovich Fokina, 7-5 5-7 6-3.
The American and Spaniard contested a rematch around 18 months later, with Davidovich Fokina also winning the contest.
Shelton won a tight first set 7-6, winning the tiebreak 7-2. However, Davidovich Fokina roared back, claiming the next two sets 6-2 6-1. This is the only match Shelton has lost in 2025 after winning the first set.
Three months later, the pair met again, this time at the Washington Open. Davidovich Fokina was again too good for Shelton, winning the semi-final contest 6-2 7-5.
The chances of the pair meeting again at the Canadian Open were extinguished when the Spaniard retired injured in the fourth round against Andrey Rublev.
Ben Shelton’s remarkable 2025 record
As per OptaAce, Ben Shelton is now 24-1 at ATP level after claiming the first set in 2025, with his sole defeat this season coming to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in Monte-Carlo.
This record is even more astonishing when considering that Shelton picked up his first win of the season against a top 10 player after defeating Alex de Minaur on Tuesday night.
It would be interesting to see if Shelton’s stranglehold on momentum would translate if he were to win the first set against Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open.
The American has played Sinner twice in 2025 and Alcaraz once. He has won just one set against these two players in 2025: the third set of his match against Alcaraz at the French Open.
At the Canadian Open, Shelton has set up a semi-final clash against compatriot Taylor Fritz. Shelton defeated Alex de Minaur 6-3 6-4 while Fritz beat 2024 finalist Andre Rublev 6-3 7-6.
