Ben Shelton defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6, in the Canadian Open final.
In doing so, he defended the title he won 12 months ago.
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After the match, Nakashima was asked for his thoughts on Shelton and how his game has changed.
Brandon Nakashima says Ben Shelton is adding variety to his game after losing to him in Montreal
“He’s always had a big serve, big forehand,” said Nakashima.
“His physicality out there is one of the best in the world, how fast he is and how quick he is around the court.
“And, also, I think he’s definitely adding more variety to his game, like you said, whether it’s mixing in different speeds of serve or trying to come forward as well.
“Yeah, I think he’s overall a pretty complete player, especially at that young age.
“So it’s great to see.”
Ben Shelton vs Brandon Nakashima – Match stats
| Stats | Ben Shelton | Brandon Nakashima |
| Aces | 7 | 8 |
| Double faults | 0 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 69% | 63% |
| Win % on 1st Serve | 86% | 80% |
| Win % on 2nd Serve | 76% | 52% |
| Break points | 2/4 | 0/0 |
Nakashima was also asked how close he believes Shelton is to the top three, four, or five players in men’s tennis.
“Yeah. I mean, he’s, of course, established now inside the Top 10. Especially this week, he’s been playing at an insane level,” he said.
Live ATP Rankings
- 1. Jannik Sinner – 13,450 points
- 2. Carlos Alcaraz – 8,160 points
- 3. Alexander Zverev – 8,090 points
- 4. Felix Auger-Aliassime – 4,740 points
- 5. Novak Djokovic – 3,760 points
- 6. Ben Shelton – 3,630 points
- 7. Daniil Medvedev – 3,580 points
- 8. Alex de Minaur – 3,560 points
- 9. Taylor Fritz – 3,375 points
- 10. Flavio Cobolli – 3,320 points
“It really has been incredible to see his career so far, and he’s still, even now, super young. So he still has his whole career ahead of him.
“Obviously, he’s going to be a top player for his whole career, and I always wish him all the best, and I definitely think that he can be at the top of the game for sure.”
Shelton currently sits sixth in the ‘Live ATP Rankings’, one spot away from his career-high.
Trailing Novak Djokovic by fewer than 100 points, it may not be long before he returns to number five, but the top four will take some chasing down.
Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime is a further 1,000 points adrift, while the top three of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev lead Shelton by 9,820, 4,530, and 4,460 points, respectively.
If Shelton is to close the gap to the top three, he will need to start winning regular Masters 1000 titles and begin challenging for Grand Slams.
Whether he can do so remains to be seen.
The 23-year-old will attempt to win back-to-back Masters 1000 titles when he returns to action in Cincinnati later this week.
Shelton will play Jaime Faria or Jenson Brooksby in the second round of the Cincinnati Open on Saturday, August 14 or Sunday, August 15.
Brandon Nakashima reflects on fast start in the Canadian Open final
Nakashima fell short in his maiden Masters 1000 final, but made an excellent start, hitting four aces in the opening game.
During his post-match press conference, Nakashima shared his thoughts on the final and what went wrong after a near-perfect start.
“Yeah. I mean, obviously got off to a good start in the first game. I think my service percentage after the first two or three games went down a little bit,” he said.
“So that kind of hurt me, especially kind of playing with a second serve and him being able to take some big cuts off of the second serve.
“But, I mean, overall, little things here and there that I maybe could have done better today, but overall, I think he just played better than me in the crucial points.”
Despite the loss, Nakashima jumped up to 22nd in the ‘Live ATP Rankings’, a career-high.
He, too, will return in Cincinnati to take on either Aleksandar Kovacevic or Karen Khachanov.
