Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Ben Shelton brushed aside Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 in his opening match at the Canadian Open to reach the third round. With his 65-minute victory, Shelton recorded his 25th win at an ATP Masters 1000 event. The 22-year-old, competing at a career-high No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has now won eight of his past 10 matches.
The fourth-seeded American won 90 per cent (28/31) of his first-serve points and saved both break points he faced, according to ATP Stats, to capture his first win against the Frenchman in the pair’s third ATP head-to-head meeting. “It got a little dicey in that last game but I am happy with the way I stay composed at the end and served it out down break point at the end,” Shelton said.
Shelton will next meet 25th seed Brandon Nakashima after the American eliminated Ethan Quinn 7-6(6), 6-4. Shelton is seeking his first Masters 1000 title this fortnight in Toronto and is currently ninth in the ATP Live Race To Turin, aiming to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals this year. Earlier, Andrey Rublev moved past Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3 to record his 250th victory on hard courts. The 27-year-old finished with a 19-17 winners-to-unforced errors count against Gaston to reach the third round. The sixth seed Rublev advanced to the title match at the ATP Masters 1000 event last year, falling to champion Alexei Popyrin. Chasing his second trophy of the season, the Doha titlist will next meet 28th seed Lorenzo Sonego.
