And then there were two. Two singles players looking to lift the trophy in Toronto for the first time.
Karen Khachanov and Ben Shelton will meet on Thursday night with the National Bank Open title on the line. The pair were each victorious late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning, with Khachanov upsetting top seed Alexander Zverev while Shelton took down his countryman Taylor Fritz.
In the first singles match of the evening, Khachanov and Zverev treated the Toronto fans to a thriller. In the end, Khachanov was able to hold his nerve, saving a match point on his way to a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) win, just his third in eight meetings against the world No. 3.
For nearly three hours, the two big men exchanged body blows from the baseline in long, gruelling rallies. Each of the first two sets saw just a single break-point opportunity, which was converted. Khachanov broke for a 3-1 lead in the first set but then was broken trying to stay in the second at 4-5.
Read also: Khachanov Finally Gets His Shot at NBO Title
The 2018 Paris Masters champion had two chances to break early in the decider but could not convert. He then had to save a match point on his own serve in the 12th game before sending it to a tiebreak. From 1-3 down, Khachanov was five straight points and converted his second match point to reach his second Masters 1000 final.
After an awkward delay due to an issue with the electronic line-calling, play finally got underway in the second semifinal between Shelton and Fritz just after 10:45 pm. The match started with a flurry of break-point opportunities, five for Shelton and two for Fritz, but the set remained on serve. Shelton would get another chance in the ninth game and this time he converted, setting himself up to serve out the set.
The American No. 2 kept up the pressure in the second and was rewarded with a break to go up 3-2. With the way he was serving, the result seemed inevitable. Fritz never had another break point after the second game of the first set and Shelton punched his ticket to his first Masters 1000 final with another break in the final game.
Read also: National Bank Open’s Wheelchair Tennis Exhibition Delivers in First Year in Toronto
The day started off with the final doubles semi, where Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski defeated the Argentine team of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in straight sets to set an all-British final against Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool. Cash and Glasspool had punched their ticket to the final on Tuesday.
CLICK HERE to read all the results from Wednesday.
The ATP's best return to Toronto this summer for the National Bank Open presented by Rogers July 26 to Aug. 7, 2025 at Sobeys Stadium. 2025 Tickets are on sale. Get your tickets today!
Feature Photo : Tyler Anderson
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