As the men’s and women’s singles finals took place alongside each other at the Canadian Open, Ben Shelton and Karen Khachanov’s match in Toronto was briefly interrupted when the audience in the stands started cheering for Victoria Mboko, the Canadian teen sensation who took down Naomi Osaka in Montreal. The American was subsequently left speechless as he watched the crowd roar.
Shelton and Khachanov’s men’s singles finals got off to an incredibly close start in Toronto. Both players had an impressive run to the summit clash, with Shelton taking down compatriot and second seed Taylor Fritz in the semis, while Khachanov took down top seed Alexander Zverev.
During their game, the crowd started randomly cheering, drawing a confused expression from Ben Shelton. The umpire later informed the American that the applause was likely because Mboko had won the women’s singles crown in Montreal. Watch a moment of the video below:
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For Mboko, who took down four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka in Montreal, the moment was truly one to remember. This marked the teenager’s first-ever title win on the WTA Tour.
Ben Shelton wins Canadian Open title
Ben Shelton got his campaign in Toronto off to a promising start. The American took down Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in straight sets during his opening round match. However, the youngster’s path ahead wasn't so easy.
In his second round encounter, Shelton barely survived a scare against compatriot Brandon Nakashima. Up next, the 22-year-old was once again pushed to three games, this time by Italy's Flavio Cobolli.
Shelton put on dominant performances in both his quarterfinal and semifinal matches. In the former, he took down ninth seed Alex de Minaur in straight sets, before meting out a similar treatment to fellow American Taylor Fritz in the semifinals.
In the summit clash against Karen Khachanov, Ben Shelton got off to a slow start. The fourth seed lost the first set 6-7(5). However, he quickly found his way back into the game, clinching a 6-4, 7-6(3) win in the next two games to lift the Canadian Open trophy.
For Shelton, this marked his first-ever ATP Masters 1000 title. This victory also makes him the youngest American to win a Masters 1000 crown in two decades. After his triumph in Canada, the youngster will now return to action on home ground at the Cincinnati Open.
