Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima will meet in the Canadian Open final in Montreal on Thursday, the first all-American Masters 1000 final since Andy Roddick faced Mardy Fish in Cincinnati in 2003. The defending champion dispatched Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals on Wednesday, while Nakashima edged past Rafael Jodar 7-6(3), 6-4 in a tightly contested affair.
Shelton dominates Tien despite injury scare
Fifth seed Shelton exacted revenge on the player who had beaten him twice this season. The 24-year-old lefty imposed his serve from the start, winning 81% of first-serve points and never facing a break. In the second set, he crashed into the back-court advertising boards, cutting his left elbow and hand and requiring a medical timeout to stop the bleeding. "I played four good return points after the timeout, I wasn't feeling anything except the sting of the medicine," Shelton said after wrapping up victory in 75 minutes. The defending champion extended his winning streak in Canada to eleven consecutive matches, still without dropping a set in this tournament.
Nakashima grinds out first Masters 1000 final
On the other side of the draw, Nakashima needed two hours to overcome Jodar. While the first set went to a tiebreak, it was the final game that will live longest in the memory: six deuces, four match points saved by the 19-year-old Spaniard, and ultimately an ace from Nakashima on his fifth opportunity to seal a 6-4 second set. "That final game was crazy, it was super-tight, we both had to keep fighting," admitted the 25-year-old American, who reached the first Masters 1000 final of his career.
A lopsided head-to-head favors the champion
Shelton leads 5-0 in their head-to-head, a commanding advantage that includes their meeting in Toronto last season. The defending champion will chase a second consecutive title in Montreal, three weeks before the US Open. But Nakashima, riding the confidence of his breakthrough run and the backing of the North American crowd, will have nothing to lose on Thursday night. (Sources: ATP Tour, Yahoo Sports, Washington Post)
