Ben Shelton continued his dream run in Toronto by reaching the Canadian Open final with a win over Taylor Fritz.
Shelton and Fritz’s all-American semi-final ended in a straight-sets victory for the World No. 7 as he set up a clash in the final against Karen Khachanov.
Shelton could overtake Djokovic in the rankings ahead of the US Open, with the Serbian not playing the Cincinnati Open.
With Shelton’s latest win over Fritz, the American achieved something only done by two of the great Americans in the sport.
Ben Shelton equals records by Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras at Canadian Open
Shelton’s victory over Fritz sees him rise to World No. 5 in the ATP Tour live rankings, but that’s not the only reason to celebrate for the American.
Shelton became the youngest American to achieve back-to-back ATP top 10 wins with his victories over Fritz and Alex de Minaur in Toronto.
That’s an achievement that hasn’t been seen since Pete Sampras did the same back in 1992 at the Cincinnati Open.
Shelton also became the youngest American to reach an ATP 1000 event final since Andy Roddick reached the Canadian Open final in 2004.
The World No. 7 continues to match some of the greatest names in American tennis, and he proves he belongs at the very top of the sport.
Ben Shelton comments on his record-breaking Canadian Open run
Shelton has achieved his best ever performances at every Grand Slam this year, and his ATP 1000 run is the icing on the cake.
The star was ecstatic with his performance against Fritz and pointed out his improvements after his Canadian Open win.
Shelton said his improvements were how he was “Executing, how little I’m hesitating, how I’m returning,” after defeating Fritz.
Shelton will head into the US Open as one of America’s biggest hopes at his home tournament, alongside Fritz.