All the players who participated in the 'Canadian Open' that took place in Toronto knew they had a huge chance due to the numerous absences among the top players. World No.1 Jannik Sinner missed the prestigious Canadian tournament and World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz also made the chosen star, as well as 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and young English star Jack Draper.
This huge chance was exploited by Ben Shelton in the best way, with the American ace who was able to win the first Masters 1000 title of his young career thanks to an amazing run. The American talent had to overcome several difficulties during the tournament, but he showed that he has grown from all points of view and the final against Karen Khachanov certified his improvements.
The two top favorites to win in Ontario were Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz, while Ben was better than them at handling the pressure and will try to extend his positive momentum at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 as well. His main goal is the US Open, scheduled from August 24 to September 7, a tournament that suits his game very well (where he reached the semifinals in 2023).
Roddick praises Shelton
On the latest episode of his famous podcast, former world No.1 Andy Roddick highlighted that he has noticed some progresses in Shelton's game: “His ability to drive the backhand, middle, and cross. He is not taking random cuts down the line with it, and when he does, it’s a finishing shot. But comfort in really taking big swings through the middle, through cross.
He has developed that shot, and you say the chip is a change-up, no, it’s more than that. It gives him the option to change the pattern of the entire rally. That is a big deal. Once it comes to his forehand, he has got options.”
Ben’s next opponent in Cincy will be Spanish veteran Roberto Bautista Agut, who defeated Cameron Norrie in the previous round.
Novak Djokovic's next tournament will be the US Open – the last Major of the season – which will take place in New York from August 24 to September 7, preceded by the mixed doubles tournament in which the former world number 1 (together with Olga Danilovic) will also participate.
Against all odds, the Serbian legend has decided not to play either the 'Canadian Open' in Toronto or the Cincinnati Masters 1000 before the US Open and fans are wondering what his level will be in the Big Apple at the end of August. The 38-year-old from Belgrade had also made this decision last season, when he needed time to recharge his batteries after the Paris Olympics, but he was unable to give his best in NY and was eliminated already in the first week.
It is clear to everyone that Nole directs his schedule mainly towards Grand Slam tournaments and has been able to raise his level in those four tournaments this year, but he has never gone beyond the semifinals. In addition, he is starting to have more injuries than in the past and he has not hidden that it will be very hard to become the oldest player ever to lift a Major.
Nole is 38 years of age
Most experts and former players are convinced that Novak's career is not far from over, although he has repeatedly stated that he wants to try to continue until the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
On the latest edition of the 'Nothing Major' podcast, former American ace Sam Querrey asked John Isner when he thinks Djokovic will retire: “Do you think Djokovic is going to be a guy who announces his retirement like 2026 will be my last year?” Isner replied: “I think you’re right. I guess when you know you know. He might just reach that point where he wakes up one morning and it’s like man, I have had enough. Hopefully that is four years from now.”
Nole has not triumphed in a Major since the 2023 edition of the US Open.
Alejandro Davidovich Fokina will not remember Toronto and Cincinnati for good. The Spaniard retired at both events, and his latest setback hurts the most!
Alejandro had a 7-6, 4-0, 30-0 advantage against Joao Fonseca in the second round in Cincinnati before dropping five straight games and retiring, propelling the young gun into the third round.
The more experienced player claimed a tight opener and provided two breaks at the beginning of the second set to forge a massive advantage. However, he lost pace and retired after dropping five games in a row.
They traded early breaks in the first set and served well after that for 4-4. Alejandro secured another break in game nine and served for the opener, only to suffer a break and keep his rival in contention.
The Spaniard delivered a mini-break in the first point of the tie break and won all points on serve for 7-4 and a boost. Fonseca lost serve two times in a row at the beginning of the second set to find himself 4-0, 30-0 down.
However, he started his comeback with a break in game five and delivered another two games later to reduce the gap. The young gun held at love for 4-4 and clinched his third straight break in game nine with a backhand down the line winner.
Davidovich Fokina ended the match at that moment, retiring for the second straight week and sending his rival over the top.
Andrey Rublev understood that he had to change some things to get out of the crisis that has affected him in the last year and a half, which is why he decided to start a new collaboration with his compatriot Marat Safin. The latter cannot travel with him to all the tournaments on the calendar, but he is helping him with his advice and some progress has been seen from the Russian ace.
The player from Moscow put in good performances during the Wimbledon Championships last month and did not disappoint at the Toronto Masters 1000 either, although he was unable to 'defend' the final reached in Montreal last year.
He is not far from the Top 10 of the ATP rankings right now and can aspire to achieve this goal by achieving good results at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 and especially at the US Open, two tournaments that should be suitable for his game.
Rublev opens up on Safin
During a recent interview with 'Tennis Bolshe', Andrey revealed that Safin is spurring him to add new weapons to his game to become more unpredictable: "I've understood for some time that I have to do something different if I want to become competitive again at the highest level. I knew that scoring more frequently was one of the main keys from a tactical point of view, but I was almost never able to do it until Marat came along. He told me that there were no other options and I had to try until I could do it."
Although Safin has a consulting role in Rublev's team, his main coach continues to be Fernando Vicente who has followed him since the beginning of his career. The latter has sacrificed much of his private life to help Andrey realize his dream and the Russian champion has never missed an opportunity to show him his enormous gratitude.
"Our relationship goes far beyond what is usually between a player and his coach. Fernando is a member of my family in some respects," Rublev said in a recent interview.
Novak Djokovic's schedule after the Wimbledon Championships surprised both fans and insiders. The former world number 1 decided to skip the Toronto Masters 1000 and this choice was not particularly surprising, considering that the Serbian legend has not played in Canada since 2018 and definitely needed a break after his loss to Jannik Sinner at the Championships.
However, most experts expected that the 38-year-old from Belgrade would at least participate in the Cincinnati Masters 1000 – scheduled in Ohio from August 7 to 18 – in order to play some official matches on the hard courts in view of the US Open.
The final Major of the season will begin on August 24 in New York and it is now clear to everyone that Nole will only play mixed doubles with Olga Danilovic before making her singles debut.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has spent the last few weeks on vacation with his family and friends, enjoying his free time first in Croatia and then in Greece. Novak has not yet resumed practicing and it is not known if he has solved the muscle problem that had conditioned him during the semifinal of the Championships.
Nole is still resting
A few days ago, Djokovic's presence at the second edition of the 'Six Kings Slam' to be held in Saudi Arabia was announced.
In the latest episode of his podcast, American legend Jimmy Connors admitted that he was surprised by Nole's recent choices: "I have to admit that his schedule worries me a bit. He hasn't played a hard court match so far and it would have been good to see him in Cincinnati to test his level, but instead he preferred to stay home. We don't know what to expect from him, although we can't underestimate one of the best in history. We've seen him on vacation for the last month, that's all we know."
The Serbian ace had missed both American Masters 1000 last season, before being prematurely eliminated in New York.
Jimmy Connors believes Novak Djokovic could still make a run for the US Open main glory but the former eight-time Grand Slam champion admits he is "worried" over the Serb not playing a single match leading up to the final Major of the year.
After losing in straight sets to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon semifinal – in a match where he appeared to be bothered by a leg injury he picked up a round earlier – the current world No. 6 decided to skip the Toronto Masters. Last week, the 38-year-old also pulled out of the ongoing Cincinnati Masters.
The moment Djokovic withdrew from Cincinnati, that meant he would enter a second Grand Slam in a row without playing any official tournaments leading up to it. During this past grass swing, the former world No. 1 played only one exhibition match in Hurlingham before going to Wimbledon.
Connors: One thing worries me… I wish Djokovic went to Cincinnati and played a few matches there
"You can’t count him out. The only thing that is worrying me, is I wish he would go to Cincinnati and just go and play two or three matches. That is the only thing that worries me that he left Wimbledon in the semis, which was a pretty good result, but he didn’t play in that match like he wanted to and lost in three straight. Then to take two and a half months off, he has a family, going on vacation and getting away. But you never know," the American tennis legend said on the Advantage Connors podcast.
Djokovic not playing much before a Grand Slam isn't anything unusual – he did it many times in the past and you know how that usually went for the Serb. However, it has been a completely different story the past two years with the rise of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
Last year, Djokovic stunningly lost in the US Open third round to Alexei Popyrin, but he was tired and exhausted following his Paris Olympics win. This year, the 38-year-old Serb is at least guaranteed to enter the last Grand Slam of the year fresh.
Ben Shelton lifted his career-best trophy in Toronto, earning his first Masters 1000 crown at 22. The American earned the title in remarkable fashion, surviving three deciding tie breaks en route to a trophy.
Thus, Shelton became the first player in Masters 1000 history to pull off such a feat on the way to the title. How did Ben do it? By staying fearless, keeping calm under pressure and finding his A-game in the pivotal moments.
The young gun had to dig deep in rounds three and four. He bested top-tier players in the quarter-final and the semi-final before producing another thrilling win against Karen Khachanov in the title clash.
Ben Shelton running into the crowd to share a moment with his dad and team after winning his first Masters title in Toronto.
Shelton played against his compatriot, Brandon Nakashima, in the third round. The 4th seed prevailed 6-7, 6-2, 7-6 and avoided an early setback. The favorite fired 19 aces and lost serve once.
However, Nakashima fought well after the second set and led 2-0 in the decider. Ben pulled the break back in the fourth game and denied a break point at 3-3 that could have been crucial.
Brandon saved two match points on serve in the tenth game before his rival clinched a tie break 7-5 to emerge at the top and remain on the title course. Two days later, Shelton had to dig deep versus Flavio Cobolli.
The American prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, showing his clutch in the pivotal moments. Both players scored three breaks. Flavio had the upper hand in the third set, serving well and generating break chances.
He stole Ben's serve in game five and provided two comfortable holds for 5-3. Standing on the verge of exit door, a left-hander pulled the break back at the last moment at 4-5 and extended the duel.
The Italian saved a match point on serve at 5-6 before the American dominated the tie break to wrap up another tight victory and reach the quarter-final. Shelton produced a high-quality tennis against Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz.
Thus, he booked a place in his first Masters 1000 final and arranged the clash against Karen Khachanov. They battled for two hours and 47 minutes before Ben prevailed 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 to wrap up the title.
The young gun kept his composure after the opener and in the decisive moments. He got broken once and provided two breaks. Karen saved three set points at 5-6 in the opener and claimed the tie break 7-5.
Shelton grabbed a break at 4-4 in the second set and denied four break points in the next one with winners to introduce a decider. They served well and sent it into a tie break.
The American played flawless tennis and closed it 7-3 to seal the deal and write Masters 1000 history.
Ben Shelton doesn't want to compare his path to Jannik Sinner's since he believes "everyone's story is different" but admits he is hoping that his Toronto Masters triumph is only the start of more great things.
On Thursday, the Shelton captured his maiden Masters win after completing an impressive 6-7 (5) 6-4 7-6 (3) final comeback against Karen Khachanov. For the 22-year-old American, it was his third ATP title, but by far the biggest one.
If you can recall, Sinner's first Masters triumph came two years ago at the exact same spot when he beat Alex de Minaur in the Toronto final. That pretty much marked a breakthrough in the Italian's game, as since then, he has won four Grand Slams and has been holding the world No. 1 spot for nearly a year now.
After Shelton became a Masters champion, a reporter remembered how the Toronto win did wonders for Sinner and asked the American if something similar could happen to him.
Shelton refuses to compare himself to Sinner: I think everyone has a different path…
"Yeah, yeah, you never know. I think everyone has a different path. Everyone's story is written differently. I've kind of done it my way. There's been a lot of guys to look up to, just because how young they have been when they have broken through, and have had so much success at big tournaments. Tennis seems to be a sport that has young champions all the time, which is not common or normal, it's ultra impressive," the 22-year-old explained.
Shelton may not want to compare himself to the best player in the game and put major expectations and pressure on himself. But he surely hopes to do some big things in the near future.
"Yeah, I hope that this week kind of kick starts me and gets me more consistent with the type of tennis that I want to play day-in and day-out," the 22-year-old added.
Karen Khachanov suggests he wasn't that surprised by the Toronto crowd's reaction to Victoria Mboko's Montreal triumph as the Russian says stuff like this is pretty common in Canada.
In case you missed it, the clock struck at 30 minutes of play in the Toronto Masters final when the crowd started going nuts – it happened as Khachanov was preparing to serve against Ben Shelton. The Russian stood there waiting for the spectators to calm down, while his American rival looked in disbelief and had no idea what was happening. The chair umpire provided quick explanation by telling the 22-year-old that the crowd was probably celebrating Mboko's win over Naomi Osaka in the Montreal final.
Crazy scenes in the Shelton & Khachanov Toronto final.
The crowd erupts mid-match because 18 year old Victoria Mboko just beat Naomi Osaka to win the title in Montreal.
When the play continued, Khachanov managed to win a very tight opener against Shelton with a 7-6 (5) scoreline. Unfortunately for the Russian, he didn't manage to complete the job as Shelton came back from a set down to win 6-7 (5) 6-4 7-6 (3).
Khachanov comments on the viral Toronto final interruption
In his post-final presser, Khachanov was asked whether he had experienced anything like that before. And he said that something similar happened when Denis Shapovalov upset Rafael Nadal at the Canadian Open eight years ago.
"I think in Canada it's happening, but, yeah, if I remember, I think every year it happens, you know, from city to city they cheer for a local player, yeah. I remember I think in long time ago it was with Shapovalov, when he reached also like first time semifinals I think when he beat Rafa. I was playing I guess in Toronto, and then I remember something like this was happening, yeah," the 29-year-old said.
Blood, sweat, tears and – finally – triumph. Ben Shelton gave it all in Toronto and took home the hardware as the youngest American to win a Masters title since Andy Roddick in 2004, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(3) in two hours and 47 minutes.
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Shelton is the first American man to win the title in Canada since Roddick in 2003, and he will rise to a career-high ranking of No.6.
“I feel so blessed,” Shelton said. “Just to have opportunities like this. The joy that I feel today isn’t just because of the win. It’s because of the people that I get to spend every day with.”
It was a hard-hitting tussle with Khachanov, the pair’s second career meeting which saw Khachanov jump out in front on the strength of a solid first-set tiebreak.
But Shelton would not be denied. The 22-year-old American answered back, going unbroken in sets two and three and winning four of the final five points in the deciding set tiebreak to earn his third and biggest ATP title.
Shelton defeated No. 8-seeded Alex de Minaur and No. 4-seeded Taylor Fritz to advance to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final, and survived third-set tiebreaks to defeat Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli earlier in the tournament.
When the victory was clinched, Shelton made his way to the crowd to share the moment with his coach and father Bryan. His coach encouraged him to step into the court and take balls earlier against Khachanov, and the strategy paid dividends.
How special is that? Ben Shelton wins his maiden Masters title in Toronto, defeating Khachanov, 6-7 6-4 7-6. pic.twitter.com/iIcUwBSzXK
“I love the way that he coaches me,” Shelton said. “He usually leaves stuff up to me. He gives me a lot of suggestions. He knows me better than anyone in the world, so he’s well qualified to give me those suggestions.”
Khachanov went more than six years between Masters finals, a record, but could not summon the magic that he displayed when winning the Paris title in 2018.
Still, he will rise to No.12 in the rankings after a strong effort that saw him save a match point while knocking off top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semis.
“Definitely still it’s a positive, great tournament, great run,” he said. “I had some great battles, great wins against top guys. So that’s why I give credit to myself for doing that, and that’s it.
“I mean, you can win, you can lose, so you just try to regroup and be ready for the next tournament, it’s another Masters 1000, and then it’s a Grand Slam. So this is tennis, so sometimes you have to regroup quickly and be fit, be ready for the next match.”
By Richard Pagliaro | Thursday, August 7, 2025 Photo credit: Matthew Calvis
Arthur Fils has withdrawn from the Cincinnati Open.
The 21-year-old Frenchman sustained a stress fracture in his back at Roland Garros that knocked him out of grass-corut season.
Fils returned to action in Toronto and beat Pablo Carreno Busta in his opener before losing to Jiri Lehecka 3-6, 6-3, 6-4. Fils also partnered Toronto singles finalist Ben Shelton in the doubles draw where they won two matches.
French lucky loser Arthur Cazaux replaces Fils in the Cincinnati draw and will play either compatriot Alexandre Muller or American Jenson Brooksby in his opener.
Blood, sweat, tears and – finally – triumph. Ben Shelton gave it all in Toronto and took home the hardware as the youngest American to win a Masters title since Andy Roddick in 2004, defeating Karen Khachanov 6-7(5) 6-4 7-6(3) in two hours and 47 minutes.
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Shelton is the first American man to win the title in Canada since Roddick in 2003, and he will rise to a career-high ranking of No.6.
“I feel so blessed,” Shelton said. “Just to have opportunities like this. The joy that I feel today isn’t just because of the win. It’s because of the people that I get to spend every day with.”
It was a hard-hitting tussle with Khachanov, the pair’s second career meeting which saw Khachanov jump out in front on the strength of a solid first-set tiebreak.
But Shelton would not be denied. The 22-year-old American answered back, going unbroken in sets two and three and winning four of the final five points in the deciding set tiebreak to earn his third and biggest ATP title.
Shelton defeated No. 8-seeded Alex de Minaur and No. 4-seeded Taylor Fritz to advance to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 final, and survived third-set tiebreaks to defeat Brandon Nakashima and Flavio Cobolli earlier in the tournament.
When the victory was clinched, Shelton made his way to the crowd to share the moment with his coach and father Bryan. His coach encouraged him to step into the court and take balls earlier against Khachanov, and the strategy paid dividends.
How special is that? Ben Shelton wins his maiden Masters title in Toronto, defeating Khachanov, 6-7 6-4 7-6. pic.twitter.com/iIcUwBSzXK
“I love the way that he coaches me,” Shelton said. “He usually leaves stuff up to me. He gives me a lot of suggestions. He knows me better than anyone in the world, so he’s well qualified to give me those suggestions.”
Khachanov went more than six years between Masters finals, a record, but could not summon the magic that he displayed when winning the Paris title in 2018.
Still, he will rise to No.12 in the rankings after a strong effort that saw him save a match point while knocking off top-seeded Alexander Zverev in the semis.
“Definitely still it’s a positive, great tournament, great run,” he said. “I had some great battles, great wins against top guys. So that’s why I give credit to myself for doing that, and that’s it.
“I mean, you can win, you can lose, so you just try to regroup and be ready for the next tournament, it’s another Masters 1000, and then it’s a Grand Slam. So this is tennis, so sometimes you have to regroup quickly and be fit, be ready for the next match.”
Karen Khachanov says every tennis player is pretty familiar with online abuse and admits it is not a pleasant feeling, but believes that staying smart and not engaging with such people is the best thing to do.
In case you missed it, Elina Svitolina was subjected to some pretty disgusting messages following her Montreal quarterfinal loss on Monday – her DM was full of various insults and some even mentioned her family and sent death threats.
On Tuesday, Khachanov was in action at the Canadian Masters as he defeated top seed Alexander Zverev 6-3 4-6 7-6 (4) to reach the final. In his presser, the 29-year-old Russian was asked whether he noticed Svitolina's post and if he has dealt with something similar.
"My whole career, I would say, I heard it (laughing), like any other tennis player, I guess any other sportsman, athlete, you know," the seven-time ATP champion said.
Khachanov: They want to provoke you and you sometimes want to respond… But don't do that
"Now anyone can write anything they want, from fake accounts or whatever, just to kind of, yeah, piss you off or whatever, just get inside your head. But this is what they are trying to do… But sometimes you want to respond. But at the same time this is what they are trying, they are provoking you. You know, to answer means, means that it matters to you, so you just have to try to get over it," the Russian explained.
In the same interview, Khachanov noted that his agents run his social media accounts and that he only uses social media when he wants to personally check something, and that he tries to avoid reading anything else as much as possible.
Meanwhile, Khachanov is due to play Ben Shelton in the Toronto Masters final. If the 2018 Paris champion wins, it will be his second Masters title.
By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, August 6, 2025 Photo credit: National Bank Open by Rogers Facebook
A titanic tiebreak tug of war culminated with Karen Khachanov making the pivotal pull.
Khachanov denied match point in the 12th game edging top-seeded Alexander Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in a near three-hour thriller to advance to his second career ATP Masters 1000 final in Toronto tonight.
The 16th-ranked Russian reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final since he stunned Novak Djokovic to capture the 2018 Paris Masters Indoors.
Khachanov will face the winner of tonight’s all-American semifinal between second-seeded Taylor Fritz and fourth-seeded Ben Shelton in tomorrow’s final.
Tonight’s opening semifinal was a rematch of the 2021 Olympic gold-medal match that saw Zverev prevail 6-3, 6-1.
Though Khachanov took the court armed with an ignominious 2-21 record vs. Top 3-ranked opponents, he showed major mettle at crunch time—and was aided by a fortunate bounce off the net that kept him in this tight test.
“Generally I think today also I didn’t feel my best on the court, didn’t play my best tennis,” Zverev said. “Also, the first set was terrible, so I kind of gave him a head start, and he’s too good to not use that.
“So, yeah, I still had match point, so it’s upsetting that I lost this match. But that’s the way it is, we move on, I go to Cincinnati and try to do better.”
Serving down match point at 5-6 in the decider, Khachanov challenged Zverev’s vaunted backhand. The German lined up his two-hander and lashed a liner that had match-ending winner written all over it.
The return crashed into the top of the tape, hung in the air for a split second then dripped back onto Zverev’s side of the net as Khachanov breathed a sigh of relief.
That reprieve emboldened the Russian, who ripped a forehand down the line holding to force the decisive tiebreaker.
When Zverev zapped a swinging forehand volley winner he was up 3-1 in the tiebreaker and seemingly in command.
Khachanov had other ideas.
The 11th-seeded Khachanov tore through five points in a row coaxing a couple of backhand errors and knocking off a high forehand volley. Zverev’s two-handed backhand is one of the best in the sport, but he netted that trusty weapon to face three match points at 6-3.
On his second match point, Khachanov cranked the wide serve closing a two hour, 52-minute battle.
It was Khachanov’s first Top 10 win of the season, his first win over Zverev since the 2019 Montreal and sends him into his first final of the year.
In the opening set, Zverev more than doubled Khachanov’s winner total—11 to 5—but Khachanov cashed in on the lone break point of the set and that made all the difference. Khachanov converted the lone break point of the set for 3-1 and consolidated for 4-1. The bearded Russian converted his third set point for a one-set lead.
On the fast Toronto court, neither man was severely stressed on serve in the second set until the final game when Khachanov played a horrific game and Zverev broke to snatch the set and forced a decider.
This match marked the eighth time in the tournament a match was decided in the final-set tiebreaker.
Ben Shelton broke new ground on Wednesday night in Toronto, defeating Taylor Fritz to become the youngest American to reach a Masters 1000 final since Andy Roddick in 2004.
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The 22-year-old notched a 6-4, 6-3 over the top-ranked American, and has now earned back-to-back Top-10 wins for the first time in his career.
“I’m just looking for things in my game to steadily improve and I’ve seen so many big improvements in my game this week,” said Shelton. “That’s what I’m most happy about. The way that I’m playing, how I’m executing and how little I’m hesitating.”
Shelton saved both break points he faced in a flawless performance, and converted three of ten to pull away from the fourth-ranked American.
He cracked seven aces and won 25 of 29 first-serve points.
“When he is standing in one corner, he’s one of the best in the world at being behind the ball and hitting it harder and harder every time,” Shelton said of the 2024 US Open runner-up. “You have to keep him moving and I did a great job of that, moving the ball around the court today.”
In the first all-American Masters semifinal in 15 years Shelton improved to 1-1 vs Fritz and became the eighth player born in the 2000s to play a Masters final.
“It’s huge,” Shelton said. “Talked about how the Masters were the one level of tournaments that I’ve been struggling with, and my next step is being able to excel in these tournaments. So taking that first step and getting my first deep run under my belt is exciting.”
He’ll face Karen Khachanov for the title on Thursday evening.
Jannik Sinner will be back in action at the Cincinnati Masters 1000 these days, where he will try to defend the title won a year ago thanks to an amazing run. The world No.1 will play his first official tournament since his extraordinary triumph at the Wimbledon Championships just under a month ago, having decided to skip the 'Canadian Open' in Toronto so as not to overload his body ahead of the US Open.
This segment of the season is very suitable for the game of the Italian ace, who will be called upon to defend 3000 points between Cincinnati and New York. If he wants to maintain the top position in the ATP rankings until the end of the year, the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria needs to achieve brilliant results in the coming month and will have to hope that his top rival Carlos Alcaraz is not at the top of his shape.
The Italian and the Spaniard faced each other in the final at both Roland Garros and the Wimbledon Championships, which is why fans hope to be able to witness a new chapter of their spectacular rivalry already in Flushing Meadows.
New details on Sinner's debut
Meanwhile, the exact date of Jannik's debut in Ohio has finally been revealed. The four-time Grand Slam champion – who can benefit from a first-round bye – will make his debut in this tournament on Saturday, August 9 against Kopriva or a player from the qualifiers.
Sinner's potential path in Cincinnati doesn't look too tough, having avoided very dangerous rivals like Ben Shelton, Alexei Popyrin and Alexander Zverev along his run.
In his press conference, the world number 1 confessed that he is looking forward to getting back into action: "My elbow is fine and I can't wait to play my first match here. I got some rest after Wimbledon and spent the holidays together with my friends and family. Then I started practicing again and I hope to play my best tennis on hard courts, especially at the US Open."
World no. 7 Bern Shelton is enjoying his career-best run at a Masters 1000 level in Toronto. The young American bested Alex de Minaur in straight sets to notch his first semi-final at this level and remain on the title course.
A left-hander prevailed over Flavio Cobolli in the fourth round, celebrating his 100th ATP victory and earning a notable milestone. Ben's rise from college sensation to ATP star has been nothing short of electric.
The American needed only three years since turning professional to claim his 100th ATP win, marking the milestone and gathering momentum ahead of the semi-final duel with his compatriot, Taylor Fritz.
✅ Atlanta 2022: 1st tour-level win
✅ Toronto 2025: 100th tour-level win
Shelton claimed the 2022 NCAA singles title for Florida Gators and turned pro a few weeks later. A left-hander with a booming serve claimed his first ATP win in July at home in Atlanta.
Ben wrapped up his first professional season with three ATP triumphs under his belt. The young gun flew from the US for the first time at the beginning of 2023! He lacked experienced but presented incredible will and desire.
Shelton ended the season with respectable 26 ATP victories, proving himself and setting the stage for an even stronger run in 2024. Ben claimed his second ATP title in Houston and counted 42 triumphs, becoming world no. 13 but ending the season just outside the top-20.
The young American gained a boost ahead of 2025 and extended his great streak, collecting 26 wins before Toronto and becoming world no. 7. Shelton reached the Australian Open semi-final and lost the final of the ATP 500 event in Munich.
He fought well against Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros before reaching the quarter-final at Wimbledon. Ben entered his first Major event as a top-10 player and fell to Jannik Sinner after a solid resistance.
Shelton suffered the semi-final defeat in Washington and headed to Toronto with 97 ATP wins. A left-hander embraced a deep run in Canada and provided his 100th victory only three years after turning pro.
His blend of power and charisma continues to excite fans and push boundaries. From college courts in Florida to ATP milestones, Shelton's journey is moving fast, with no signs of slowing down.
The US Open is just around the corner, and the home players will be among the players to beat at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, August 5, 2025 Photo credit: National Bank Open by Rogers Facebook
Demonstrative displays aren’t typically part of Taylor Fritz’s arsenal.
Tonight, Fritz fired the exclamation point to punctuate a declarative victory.
On match point, Fritz slammed his 20th ace completing a 6-3, 7-6(4) win over Andrey Rublev to power into his fifth semifinal of the season at the National Bank Open in Toronto.
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The second-seeded Fritz posted his 20th hard-court win of the season—he’s the third man to do it—advancing to his 38th career semifinal.
“I would say tonight I felt the best about my game, just striking the ball-wise,” Fritz said. “I feel like all week it’s kind of been flying, tough to control, easy to miss the ball.
“It’s not just me, just watching any of the other matches, I can seeing people are hitting the ball a lot softer than they normally do, they’re playing a lot safer, people are making more mistakes. I think conditions here, it’s just tough in general to play.
“Tonight for sure it was the most I felt like I could control the ball, and also kind of go after it and feel like I was confident in where it was going. That’s obviously a good thing going into the semis.”
Wimbledon semifinalist Fritz will face fourth-seeded compatriot Ben Shelton for a spot in the final. Shelton slammed 11 aces defeating ninth-seeded Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 in tonight’s second quarterfinal. Fritz, who is 1-0 against Shelton, is bidding for his first hard-court final since he beat de Minaur and Alexander Zverev in succession to reach the ATP Finals title match in Turin last November.
“I feel like when we played the first time his serve was still huge,” Fritz said of Shelton. “I mean, maybe the spots are better. His serve was really good when I played him, whenever it was, like two, three years ago, I’m not sure.”
Bursting out of the blocks quickly, Fritz flew eight points in a row surging to a 3-0 lead against the 2024 Canadian Open finalist.
The 27-year-old Fritz was cracking the ball with depth off both wings, punished the Rublev two-handed backhand and even carved some timely drop shots seizing a one-set lead. Fritz served 70 percent and won 17 of 23 first-serve points in the opening set.
“He’s one of the best players. He get great results,” Rublev said of Fritz. “Wimbledon semifinal, great match against Alcaraz. Now the tournament after Wimbledon he’s in semifinal.
“I know he have a great level, but here it’s tough to serve against. Here there is no tennis at all. But, in general, he had unbelievable level. He have tough matches against top players, and he’s beating most of the players.”
On the fast Toronto court, Fritz was nearly flawless on serve at the start of the second set. The 6’5” American tore through 16 of his first 17 service points, stamping three love holds in a row, at the start of the second set. Fritz broke for 5-4.
The second seed’s only real stumble came when he served for the semifinal at 5-4. Despite successive aces that helped him earn match point, Fritz missed his normally reliable backhand.
Rublev saved a match point then exploited a double fault and netted backhand breaking to level the second set at 5-all.
A frustrated Fritz dropped his Head racquet to the court and screamed at his box in his only show of angst of the evening.
The Rublev forehand remains one of the biggest in the game, but the Russian’s biggest weapon betrayed him early in the tiebreaker. Rublev missed two forehands in the first three points as Fritz took a 3-0 lead.
Launching a 137 mph missile down the middle, Fritz went up 5-2. Though Rublev ripped a diagonal forehand to close to 4-5 he missed a mind-numbing forehand into net to hand the American a second match point.
This time, Fritz made no mistake cracking his 20th ace of the night to seal his 20th hard-court win of the year.
Ben Shelton continues to deliver big stage performances on the sports’ biggest stages.
On Tuesday night the American took out World No.8 Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 to become the youngest American to reach a Masters semifinals since Andy Roddick in 2005.
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22-year-old Shelton will face compatriot Taylor Fritz in an all-American battle on Wednesday night, as he bids for his first Masters final.
It will be the first all-American semifinal at a Masters 1000 event since Mardy Fish defeated Andy Roddick in Cincinnati in 2010.
Shelton entered Tuesday’s tussle with an 0-3 record in Masters quarterfinals but he was dominant from start to finish against De Minaur as he cracked 22 winners against 23 unforced errors and won a larger share of baseline points won.
Shelton saved one of two break points and converted three breaks to snap the Aussie’s seven-match winning streak. He earned his first Top-10 of the season as well, after losing each of his first five against the Top-10 this year.
Asked what he’s been up to since that Wimbledon final, Alcaraz replied “nothing crazy.”
The reigning Roland Garros champion told Sinner he spent time with family and friends at home.
Both world No. 1 Sinner and world No. 2 Alcaraz skipped the Canadian Masters in Toronto. Both will make their debut in the 2025 North American summer hard-court season in Cincinnati as preparation for the US Open.
Sinner is defending champion in Cincinnati and at the US Open. Alcaraz trails Sinner by about 3,430 points in the rankings.
The two-time Wimbledon winner can close ground with strong performances in Cincinnati and New York. Alcaraz was upset by Gael Monfils in his 2024 Cincinnati Open opener before suffering a stunning US Open second-round loss to Botic van de Zandschulp.
Since his three-set loss to Monfils in Cincinnati last August, Alcaraz has only lost one other opening-round match. That was to David Goffin in Miami last March.
The 23-year-old Sinner has contested finals in four of the five tournaments he’s played in 2025 and carries a 26-3 record into his Cincinnati title defense.
Stefanos Tsitsipas is certainly going through the worst moment of his career and his crisis has not found any solution for the moment, despite the fact that the Greek ace has made several attempts to return to play his best tennis.
The other players have improved and know his weaknesses, while the former world number 3 has lost all his certainties and has moved far away from the top positions of the ATP rankings. Fans and insiders were very curious when he started collaborating with Goran Ivanisevic, a tennis legend who had worked with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in the past. Everyone thought that the former Croatian champion was the right person to bring 'Tsitsi' back on the right path, but their partnership ended after just two tournaments (Halle and Wimbledon, in which he achieved disastrous results).
For this reason, the winner of the 2019 ATP Finals has chosen to return to work together with his father Apostolos (from whom he had separated about a year ago). Their first tournament together did not go in the best possible way, considering that the champion from Athens was immediately eliminated at the Toronto Masters 1000.
Tsitsipas' message
Stefanos only has the Cincinnati Masters 1000 available to regain some confidence in view of the US Open – the last Major of the season – in which he has never achieved results worthy of his talent.
Meanwhile, the former Top 5 player – who also ended his love-story with his colleague Paula Badosa – wrote a post on his official X profile reflecting on how tennis is a complicated sport.
“Tennis is beautiful not because it’s graceful, but because it’s brutal. It shows you at your weakest, sweating, failing, breathing hard, asking questions you don’t have answers to. And in all that, you find something worth holding onto. Something that keeps you stepping back to the baseline” – he wrote.
A player with Tsitsipas' talent certainly deserves a better position in the ATP rankings, but he must first resolve his inner conflicts.
Jannik Sinner is ready to return to action at the Cincinnati Masters 1000, a tournament where he had triumphed in 2024 without playing his best tennis. The world number 1 was not at the top of his shape in Ohio a year ago, also due to the imminent ITIA ruling relating to his doping case. For this reason, the Italian ace had more difficulty than expected during his run, but he was able to raise his level in the decisive moments and lifted the trophy by beating local idol Frances Tiafoe in the final.
After winning his first Wimbledon title last month, the 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria went on holiday to Sardinia and preferred to skip the Toronto Masters 1000 (where he had triumphed two years ago starting his rise). The four-time Grand Slam champion – who has also decided to reinstate Umberto Ferrara as his fitness coach – has already arrived in Ohio and immediately started practicing to get used to the conditions.
Jannik wants to defend the title he won there last season and above all he wants to gain confidence in view of the US Open, which will start on August 24 in New York. As everyone knows, most of the top players will also play mixed doubles in this edition and Sinner will join forces with Emma Navarro.
Sanguinetti opens up on Sinner
In a recent interview with 'SuperTennis', former ATP ace Davide Sanguinetti expressed his honest opinion on Sinner's current status: "He is a war machine who stops at nothing, he knows what his goals are and gives his best to achieve them. It must also be added that players are very professional nowadays and take care of every detail, whereas in my time we traveled almost alone.
Jannik deserves to be thanked because he has contributed more than anyone else to the growth of Italian tennis, everyone knows him in Italy and wants to become like him."
The world No.1 will have a first-round bye in Cincinnati and will make his debut directly in the second round.
World no. 3 Alexander Zverev is the top seed in Toronto following the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The 2017 champion is through to the last four after dethroning Alexei Popyrin in three sets.
Alexander has collected a couple of notable milestones in Toronto. He notched his 500th ATP victory in the third round, becoming the first player born in 1990 or later to achieve that.
The German reached his 21st Masters 1000 semi-final, leaving Andy Roddick on 20 and standing seventh on the all-time list. In addition, Zverev embraced his 50th notable quarter-final in Canada.
Big moment, great point!@AlexZverev wins it, secures the vital break and is edging towards claiming the set and the match.
World no. 3 is only the tenth player since 1990 to achieve that feat at Majors, Masters 1000 events and the Olympic Games. Alexander joined the ultimate legends of our sport, including Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
Zverev has been one of the most consistent players born after Djokovic and Murray. The 28-year-old reached four notable quarter-finals in 2017 when he was only 20. The young gun raised that number to eight in 2018!
He competed in the last eight at seven Masters 1000 events and at Roland Garros. Alexander added four quarter-finals to his collection in 2019 before reaching three during the reduced 2020 campaign.
The German returned at his best in 2021, earning nine notable quarter-finals to his name! He accomplished that at three Majors, the Olympic Games, and five Masters 1000 events, improving his already impressive tally at 24.
Zverev was on the same pace in 2022, making five quarter-finals by Roland Garros before experiencing a severe ankle injury that ended his season. Alexander had to wait for a year to add his name to a notable quarter-final.
He gathered three in 2023 before recovering his A-game last year. The German played in ten big quarter-finals, achieving his personal-best result and standing on 46 at the end of the season.
Zverev fought in the last eight at three Majors, the Olympic Games and six Masters 1000 events, proving his class and impressive consistency. Eight years after starting his journey at notable events, Alexander is a proud owner of 50 top-tier quarter-finals.
The 47th came at the Australian Open before missing it at four straight Masters 1000 events, sailing through an uncharted territory. Alexander added one in Rome and repeated that at Roland Garros for 49.
Wimbledon has never been on the German's list, and he failed to change that this year following an early exit. However, Zverev bounced back in Canada and made his 50th notable quarter-final, becoming the first player to achieve that after the 1987 generation.
Among the handful of household names still very much in the mix ahead of quarterfinal action at the 1000-level events in Canada this week, there are a few newbies who could just be ready to make a big splash.
And a four-time major champion that has not seen much success at the biggest events of late.
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Let’s have a look at some of the players that could produce breakout results over the next three days in Canada.
Alex Michelsen
The 20-year-old American has reached his maiden Masters quarterfinals, and that makes three American men in the quarters of a Masters event for the first time since 2004 Indian Wells: Michelsen, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
Today Michelsen will face Karen Khachanov in Toronto as he bids to become the youngest American man to reach the semifinals at a Masters event since Andy Roddick won the 2003 title. Michelsen, who will rise to No.28 in the live rankings if he wins, is bidding to become the first player born in 2004 to reach a Masters semifinal.
Clara Tauson
The 22-year-old Dane has already defeated two Top-5 players in 2024. She has now reached her second WTA 1000 quarterfinal and is already up to a new career-high ranking of 17 in the live rankings. She’ll face Madison Keys on Tuesday.
Victoria Mboko
It’s all gravy for the youngest player remaining in the women’s draw – and the last Canadian standing in either event — in Montreal this week, as 18-year-old wild card Victoria Mboko faces Jessica Bouzas Maneiro for a spot in the semis on Monday night.
Mboko, making her main draw debut, defeated Coco Gauff to reach her maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal. Same for Bouzas Maneiro, and both players are bidding to reach their first tour-level semifinal.
Ben Shelton
22-year-old American Ben Shelton has already reached the semifinals at a major, but he hasn’t gone there at a Masters event thus far. He’ll have a chance to achieve the feat on Tuesday when he meets Alex de Minaur in Toronto, in a first-time meeting.
Of the eight men remaining in the singles draw in Toronto, only the Americans – Michelsen and Shelton – have yet to reach a Masters final.
ben shelton citi open
Naomi Osaka
Could it be the four-time Slam champion’s time to shine again in Montreal? Naomi Osaka, with new coach Tomasz Wiktorowski at the helm, will bid for her first 1000-level semifinal since 2022 in Miami.
The former No.1, who rifled past Anastasija Sevastova in 49 minutes on Sunday, will face former champion Elina Svitolina on Tuesday.
Only four of the remaining eight players left in the Montreal draw have previously won a title at the 1000 level: Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, Osaka and Svitolina
After crashing out of this year’s French Open Alex de Minaur – the seemingly indefatigable Aussie who plays tennis like the energizer bunny – cited burnout as one of the biggest contributing factors to his on court struggles.
“For the last three, four years I’ve had two days off after the Davis Cup and I’ve gone straight into preseason, straight into the new season again,” he said after falling to Alexander Bublik in five sets in the second round in Paris.
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“Once you start, you don’t finish until Nov. 24. So it’s never ending. The way [the season] is structured … I had to deal with that. I’m still dealing with that right now.”
Two months later, the 26-year-old Aussie is looking recharged, even if he is at a lower ranking. That’s became De Minaur skipped out on his ‘s-Hertogenbosch title defense in order to prioritize his mental and physical health over chasing ranking points.
This week in Toronto he rides an eight-match winning streak into the quarterfinals.
“I took some time off, I didn’t play some tournaments. I knew I had to kind of shift my mindset a little bit, because what I was feeling, what I was dealing with every single day, was not sustainable, and was the reason for my burnout,” De Minaur said earlier this week.
“So, I decided not to try and defend the title in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, even though I knew it would affect my seeding at Wimbledon. And that for me was the first step, forgetting about my ranking and just worrying about myself a little bit more.”
De Minaur and many other players – from Casper Ruud to Alexander Zverev to Iga Swiatek – have expressed worry about the demands of the current tour schedule, and the smart ones are learning to take matters into their own hands.
“I managed to have a great balance,” De Minaur said. “I’ve had a lot of talks off the court to make sure I am in this right mindset. Now I’m prioritizing myself, and I know that I’m a good enough player, I know I’m a top-10 player, even if I’m not, I wasn’t in that ranking a couple weeks ago.
“If I show up, and I’m mentally ready and physically ready, I know I can provide that tennis. The last couple weeks have been an example of that, so very proud.”
