Fifth seed Ben Shelton, the defending champion, reached the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open in Montreal by defeating João Fonseca 6-3, 7-6(3) on Saturday evening. The 23-year-old American extended his winning streak in Canada to nine consecutive matches, having not dropped a set since the start of the tournament.
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A controlled first set in windy conditions
Difficult wind conditions made life hard for both players, disrupting ball trajectories throughout the evening session. Fonseca actually got off to a strong start by breaking in the opening game, but Shelton responded immediately with a break of his own. The American seized control at 4-3 with a decisive break, leaning on his powerful serve to close out the first set 6-3. Across the match, Shelton won 78% of his first-serve points, a figure that underscores the reliability of his primary weapon.
Fonseca undone by an ankle scare
The 19-year-old Brazilian appeared to be taking charge of the second set, leading 3-1 with a break point for 4-1. But a bad landing after a missed overhead smash at 3-1, 40-30 caused him ankle pain. The momentum shifted: Shelton reeled off games to level at 3-3, and the two players held serve through to a tiebreak. The American dominated it 7-3, as he so often does in pressure moments. Fonseca finished with 32 unforced errors, a high total for a player of his caliber, suggesting the conditions and the physical discomfort prevented him from producing his best tennis.
A fourth title of the season within reach
Shelton, already a champion in Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart this season, will face the winner of the match between Botic van de Zandschulp and 13th seed Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals. In a draw missing Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev, the defending champion stands as the clear favorite for a second consecutive Montreal title. With 14 points won from 18 net approaches, Shelton showed he can dominate in all areas of the game on the fast Canadian hard courts.
