Ben Shelton successfully defended his Canadian Open title by defeating compatriot Brandon Nakashima in straight sets in this year’s final of the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal. However, while delivering his post-match speech, the American was heavily booed by the Montreal crowd after he laid bare his love for Toronto, where he won the tournament last year.
On Thursday, August 13, Shelton produced a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory over Nakashima to win the Canadian Open for the second year in a row as well as his seventh ATP Tour-level singles title overall. During his post-match speech, the current World No. 5 said:
Thanks for the submission!
“I want to thank my team. It’s crazy that we were here a year ago… well I guess in Toronto. I’m not going to say anything bad about Toronto. I love Toronto too.”
At this point, the crowd began booing Ben Shelton loudly before the American very intelligently turned the boos into even louder cheers by saying:
“But I love Montreal just as much.”
Watch the moment below:
By successfully defending his Canadian Open title, Shelton became only the fourth man this century to achieve the feat, with the other three being the legendary trio of Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
“The way I played this week… speaks to the work I have been putting in” – Ben Shelton after successful Canadian Open title defense
Ben Shelton’s Canadian Open title defense was remarkable considering the American didn’t drop a single set in the six matches he played and won to lift the trophy once again. Having entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed, Shelton stormed his way to the title by registering impressive victories over Jenson Brooksby, Zizou Bergs, Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and of course, Brandon Nakashima in the final.
After securing the title, Shelton spoke proudly about the hard work he has been putting in behind the scenes along with his team.
“For me to play the way that I played this week to go through this draw speaks to the work I have been putting in. It also speaks to my mental toughness, my ability to focus through everything that was going on this week,” the 23-year-old said.
Up next for Shelton is the Cincinnati Open, the second Masters 1000 event in the North American summer hard-court swing before the year’s last major at the US Open.
Edited by Sudipto Pati