Catching up with 2025 NBO Toronto Champion Ben…

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At the 2025 National Bank Open in Toronto, Ben Shelton added another missing piece to his growing resume – he can now call himself an ATP Masters 1000 champion. But, for the remainder of the season, the American wasn’t done chasing milestones.

NBO celebrations didn’t last long for Shelton as focus quickly shifted to the Cincinnati Open. The Atlantan defeated Jiri Lehecka in straight sets to reach the quarter-finals, where the southpaw battled third-seed Alexander Zverev, and a rain delay, before ultimately falling to the German.

Eyes were then on securing the biggest piece in Shelton’s career puzzle – an illustrious Grand Slam title.

The former Florida Gator entered the US Open as the No. 6 seed, the highest he has ever been seeded at a major. In his opening two matches, Shelton cruised by Ignacio Buse and Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets, but his promising run came to an unfortunate end in the third round as he was forced to retire with a shoulder injury.

The setback kept him out of action for most of the Asian swing, but the lefty returned in Shanghai prior to taking on the indoor hard courts.

Shelton found his groove once again at the year’s final Masters 1000 in Paris. The American No. 2 earned back-to-back straight-set wins over Flavio Cobolli and Andrey Rublev to begin the event but couldn’t take down world No. 2 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the quarters.

However, the result crowned Shelton as the new American No. 1 for the first time in his career, making his Nitto ATP Finals debut in Turin at a career-high No. 5 in the rankings.

After two tight defeats to Zverev and Félix Auger-Aliassime, Shelton still had the opportunity to finish the year as the top-ranked American, but the Atlantan lost in a tough match against the eventual champion Sinner, which allowed Taylor Fritz to climb back above him.

Despite not finishing the year as the American No. 1, the 23-year-old was still a part of history for his country. Fritz and Shelton became the first American pair to finish the season in the Top 10 since Andy Roddick and James Blake in 2008.

But, even with a maiden Masters 1000 title and a new career high, Shelton suggests 2025 wasn’t even the best version of himself.

“I'm not the player that I want to be yet. Not close,” Shelton said in his ATP Finals post-match press conference following his loss to Sinner. “I set a goal, start working on it every day… I may not see it on the court yet. But maybe in Australia, [Roland-Garros], at some point next year, I start to see those things come along.”

The ATP's best return to Montreal next summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers Aug 1 to 13 at IGA Stadium. Click here for information about tickets.

Feature Photo: ATP Tour