Canadian Open defending champion Ben Shelton will face fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the final on Thursday after both players secured straight-set victories in Montreal.
Fifth seed Shelton defeated Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 under the lights on Wednesday. The victory ended a two-match losing streak against his compatriot.
The 23-year-old left-hander controlled the match with his powerful serve and rarely faced serious trouble. However, Shelton needed medical attention during the second set after crashing into the back wall and cutting his elbow and left hand.
He quickly recovered and closed out the match to reach another Canadian Open final. Shelton will now meet Nakashima, who earlier defeated Spain’s Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-4.
The 28th-seeded Nakashima reached his first Masters 1000 final after a hard-fought victory over the Spanish teenager.
Nakashima found his rhythm on serve early and claimed the opening-set tiebreak after Jodar sent a backhand volley long. The American then held his nerve in the second set to complete the victory.
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He needed five match points before sealing the contest with another powerful serve that Jodar could barely return.
Nakashima, 25, has added greater variety to his game this season. The change has helped him reach the semi-finals at Queen’s Club and Washington before making his breakthrough at the Canadian Open.
“Going into that last game I knew there was going to be some nerves,” Nakashima told Tennis Channel. He added that he realised he needed to change his approach because Jodar was consistently strong from the baseline.
Shelton holds a 5-0 record against Nakashima. Their most recent meeting came at last year’s Canadian Open, where Shelton won in three sets.
The upcoming final will also mark a rare all-American championship match at an ATP Masters 1000 event. The last such final took place in Cincinnati in 2003, when Andy Roddick defeated Mardy Fish.
