Milan, Aug. 7 (LaPresse) – A double upset marked the semifinals of the National Bank Open in Toronto, with Karen Khachanov and Ben Shelton earning spots in the final after defeating top seeds Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. Khachanov, seeded No. 11, and Shelton, seeded No. 4, will battle for the title at the sixth Masters 1000 event of the season.
For Shelton, world No. 7, this will be his first final at such a high level, while Khachanov returns to this stage for the first time in seven years—his only previous final being a win at Paris-Bercy over Novak Djokovic. The Russian, ranked No. 16, had lost three consecutive matches to Zverev (world No. 3), but overcame him in a hard-fought 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) win, even saving a match point in the 12th game of the final set.
In the final, Khachanov will play the role of the seasoned contender against Shelton, who is the same age—22—as Khachanov was during his Paris-Bercy triumph. The Atlanta-born talent, born in 2002, handled Fritz with composure, never facing a break point and converting three himself for a 6-4, 6-3 win. It marks the biggest victory of Shelton’s career, on par with his win over Jannik Sinner at the 2023 Shanghai Masters, where Sinner—like Fritz—was ranked No. 4.
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