(No. 4) Ben Shelton def. (No. 11) Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3)

Ben Shelton moved up to a career high World No. 6 after defeating Karen Khachanov in a three set final on Thursday night in Toronto to win the National Bank Open. The 22 year old became the youngest American ATP Masters 1000 champion in two decades, a feat last achieved by Andy Roddick, who won the 2004 Miami title at 21. Shelton is also the youngest American to win any Masters 1000 title since Roddick’s title win that year.

In the final, Shelton showcased his ability to recover from adversity and deliver in pressure moments. Khachanov broke first in the opening set to lead 4-3 and later served for the set at 5-4, but Shelton broke back on consecutive Khachanov errors to level at 5-5. The Russian, however, dictated the pace and had the better of the baseline exchanges in the tiebreak to take the opener.

Shelton responded in the second set, breaking for a 5-4 lead before facing a 0-40 hole while serving for the set. He fought off four break points to level the match. In the decider, both players held serve until Khachanov forced a tiebreak. There, Shelton’s serve proved decisive, as he won his final 14 points on serve including 7 of his 16 aces in the third set to close out the victory.

With the win, Shelton became the sixth player born in the 2000s to capture an ATP Masters 1000 title. It is his third career ATP title, adding to his 2023 Tokyo title on hard courts and his 2024 Houston title on clay.