World No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 7 Ben Shelton will face one another within the semifinals of the continued Canadian Open, marking the primary time two People will meet in an ATP Masters 1000 ultimate 4 since Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick clashed at Cincinnati in 2010.
On Tuesday, Fritz and Shelton beat Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur, respectively, in straight units to arrange their All-American showdown. Shelton’s 6-3, 6-4 win over the Aussie De Minaur had important implications as the 2 males are locked in a detailed ATP Rankings battle that would decide the seedings for the U.S. Open.
With the win in Toronto, Shelton moved inside 410 factors of sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic, who won’t be seen in action till Flushing Meadows, and will realistically be seeded decrease than Shelton and De Minaur.
The win on Tuesday additionally marked Shelton’s first ATP 1000 semifinal, which does not embody his ultimate 4 appearances on the 2025 Australian Open and 2023 U.S. Open. The 22-year-old expressed pleasure about going through his countryman for a shot at claiming his first ATP title.
“He is a big-match participant,” Shelton stated of Fritz, via Associated Press. “He is been carrying the flag for the US within the huge tournaments as of late. He is clutch, serves effectively. We’re nice pals. It is a match that I am actually enthusiastic about.”
As for Fritz, the win all however secures his place as a top-four seed within the U.S. Open, with an opportunity to maneuver into the highest three if he wins the Canadian Open and makes a deep run at Cincinnati subsequent week.
Final 12 months, he grew to become the primary American to achieve the lads’s ultimate on the U.S. Open since 2006 and the primary finalist at any main in 15 years. Since then, he has constructed on his good type with a semifinal look at this 12 months’s Wimbledon and two ATP titles at Eastbourne and Stuttgart.
Fritz now owns 13 wins over top-20 gamers for the reason that 2024 U.S. Open, behind solely the three gamers ranked forward of him. Will his constant run lastly result in an elusive main on the U.S. Open?
Shelton believes that whether or not it is him or Fritz, an American is able to finish the 22-year-old grand-slam drought for the nation.
“I’ve little question that one among us goes to get it in some unspecified time in the future,” he said of the elusive main. “Who is aware of who it’s? You guys simply acquired to attend and see … American tennis is in a very good place.”
