Ben Shelton advanced to the third round of the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Toronto after defeating Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3. Shelton, seeded fourth, won 90 percent of his first-serve points and saved both break points he faced during the match. This victory marks his first win against Mannarino in their three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings.
“I have played good matches against him but come up short,” said Shelton, who previously lost to Mannarino at the Australian Open (2024) and in Miami (2023). “He makes things really difficult and returns really well. So the way that I served today, to take the racquet out of his hands, I knew I had to be accurate.
“Usually with him a big serve doesn’t always work, because his hands are so good and he stands up on the baseline. I have to hit spots and I hit spots really, really well today. I am really happy with the way I served.”
Shelton’s win was achieved in 65 minutes and is his 25th career victory at an ATP Masters 1000 event. Currently ranked No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings, Shelton has won eight of his last ten matches.
“It got a little dicey in that last game but I am happy with the way I stay composed at the end and served it out down break point at the end,” Shelton added.
Last week, Shelton reached the semi-finals in Washington. He will face either Brandon Nakashima or Ethan Quinn next as he seeks his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto. He is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as he aims for a debut appearance at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals.
In another match earlier Wednesday, Andrey Rublev defeated Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3 for his 250th hard-court tour-level win since earning his first such victory in Delray Beach in 2015. Rublev recorded a winners-to-unforced errors count of 19-17 against Gaston to move into the third round.
“He has amazing touch, amazing legs,” Rublev said on Gaston. “It is natural against those kinds of players to have your rhythm broken. So it is important to step in and take time away from them, because all of that is natural for them.”
Rublev was runner-up at this tournament last year after losing to Alexei Popyrin and will next play either Lorenzo Sonego or Buyunchaokete as he seeks a second trophy this season following a title win in Doha.