Big Ben! American Shelton tops Russia’s Khachanov to win NBO Toronto title

TORONTO — With the match on the line late in the decisive third set, Ben Shelton went with what got him to the National Bank Open final.

The hard-serving American showed off his power game at the perfect time Thursday, holding at love before firing an ace and two service winners in the ensuing tiebreaker for a 6-7 (5), 6-4, 7-6 (3) victory over Karen Khachanov.

It was the American’s first Masters 1000 crown and third ATP Tour title of his career.

“I feel like it was a perfect storm for me this week,” Shelton said. “A lot of tight matches and long matches. I played some of the best tennis that I’ve played this year.”

The 22-year-old Shelton will move up one position to a career-best sixth spot when the new world rankings are released Monday.

Khachanov, meanwhile, was denied an eighth career ATP Tour title and remained stuck at 199 career hardcourt wins.

“It’s a positive, a great tournament, a great run,” he said. “I had some great battles and great wins against top guys.”

With many spectators checking their devices for updates on Canada’s Victoria Mboko at the women’s final in Montreal, the men delivered with a tense back-and-forth final that went the distance at a packed Sobeys Stadium.

Shelton, who defeated Khachanov in their only previous meeting last March at Indian Wells, set the early tone by holding at love in the opening game. He punctuated the finish with a couple of aces.

His creativity has been key throughout his run to the final but he got burned at 3-3 when his soft slice from the baseline found the net on break point.

Play was briefly paused at the half-hour mark after the crowd roared when it learned Mboko had sealed her victory over Japan’s Naomi Osaka. Shelton looked a little perplexed at the unexpected ovation.

The American got back on serve at 5-5 when his forehand clipped the net cord and handcuffed Khachanov.

After a hold, the Russian saved three set points before taking the tiebreaker with a volley after repeatedly working Shelton from corner to corner.

For a second straight night, a glitch with the electronic line-calling system forced a short delay.

At 2-2 in the second set, the audio could not be heard on fault calls. The issue was resolved quickly and Khachanov would hold despite the technical hiccup.

Shelton picked up the first break of the set for a 5-4 lead and saved four break points before taking the set.

“My best tennis came out when it mattered most,” he said. “I was clutch, I persevered, I was resilient. All the qualities I like to see in myself.”

A trainer massaged Shelton’s right upper thigh before the start of the decider. The American seemed slightly slower but his pace was still strong.

“He went for his shots, trusted the work that he’s put in and he executed,” said Bryan Shelton, his father and coach. “Sometimes you do and sometimes you don’t.

“But it’s always nice when you can leave a tournament and hold a trophy up in your hands because it’s rare.”

Earlier, Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool defeated Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 6-3, 6-7 (5), 13-11 in the doubles final.

The second-seeded duo saved four match points in the match tiebreak before pulling out their 19th straight win. They earned US$457,150 for the victory.

The $9.19-million tournament was expanded to a 96-player format this season.

Total attendance over one qualification day and 12 main-draw days was 217,531 despite several high-profile withdrawals. The pullouts included top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, No. 5 Jack Draper of Britain and No. 6 Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

The previous best of 175,003 was set in 2023 when the main draw was a weeklong event.

Shelton, who became the first American winner at this tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003, earned about $1.12 million for the victory. Khachanov pocketed almost $598,000.

The women will visit Toronto next summer while the men will play in Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 7, 2025.

Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press