Ben Shelton has detected a higher-ranked countryman Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 on Wednesday evening in Toronto to make his way to his first ATP Masters 1000-final at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.
The World No. 7 improved this season to 26-1 this season after winning the first set, combined an expected master class of the service with a surprising baseline attack on return to DeclaW Fritz, who had only fallen once in his previous three games in the semi-final.
“Even more unknown territory. Modest and hungry,” Shelton wrote on the TV camera, celebrating the breakthrough gain.
“I have seen so many great improvements in my game this week, I am most happy with that, how I am, how little I hesitate, how I come back,” Shelton said. “There are many things to be proud of and it is huge for me to beat two top 10 boys.”
The victory also increased Shelton to the fifth in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin, because he hopes to qualify for the first for the Nitto ATP Finals. If he wins the title, Shelton will go to fourth place, before Novak Djokovic.
In the first all-American ATP Masters 1000 semi-final since 2010, Shelton earned six breakpoints in three Fritz service games in the opening set, eventually broken in the ninth competition with a thunderous Down-Line Forehand winner.
Emerging as one of the best front runners in the game, the 22-year-old did not show Letup in the second set and claimed the decisive break in the fifth game with a drop shot/lob combo that Fritz flourished on the net. The Lefty achieved back-to-back top 10 victories for the first time, after his quarter-final victory over the recent Washington ATP 500 champion Alex de Minaur.
Shelton claimed his 100th win at tournament earlier in the tournament and will move to a career-high no. 6 in the PIF ATP ranking lists prior to Djokovic if he beats Karen Khahanov in the final of Thursday, who starts at 7 p.m. et.
Shelton hit 22 Ungragned serves for Fritz’s 10, according to Infosys ATP statistics and five backhand winners to Fritz’s none. He earned 10 breaking point options and limited Fritz to 68 percent of the first points won and 39 percent of the second service points.
“When he is in a corner, he is one of the best in the world to be behind the ball and it gets harder every time. I knew I had to keep him moving and I did great … I felt like I had the ball on a rope,” Shelton said.
“I am just very enthusiastic to see myself executing, not to wonder if the shot goes in, but expect it to go in …”
Shelton improved to 31-16 of the year according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
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