Shelton Captures Second Straight National Bank Open Title in Dominant Run
Friday, August 14, 2026 | Men's Tennis
Shelton claims fourth title of the season, rising to No. 6 in the ATP rankings
MONTREAL, Canada – Former Florida men's tennis standout Ben Shelton claimed his fourth ATP title of the season, and his second ATP Masters 1000 crown of the year Thursday night defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the National Bank Open final.
The 23-year-old entered the championship match with a perfect 5-0 career record against Nakashima, who is ranked No. 28 in the ATP rankings. The victory marked Shelton's seventh tour-level title.
The match was the first all-American ATP Masters final since 2003 where Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick squared off against each other.
Shelton cruised to a 6-3 first-set victory, clinching the set with a no-look, running cross-court swing that stopped Nakashima in his tracks. Nakashima battled back in the second set, forcing a 6-6 tie and sending the set to a tiebreaker. Shelton prevailed in the tiebreaker to secure the straight-set victory.
Shelton was dominant throughout the tournament, defeating six opponents without dropping a set. His run included straight-set victories over four top-30 ranked players highlighted by wins against No. 19 Learner Tien (6-2, 6-3) in the semifinals and No. 17 Jakub Mensik (6-3, 6-1) in the quarterfinals.
Since the start of the fourth round, Shelton was the sole remaining top-10 player in the competition. With the title, he improves to 12-0 in Canada since 2025, successfully defending his National Bank Open title.
Shelton becomes the first player to win the ATP singles title at the National Bank Open in consecutive years since Rafael Nadal accomplished the feat in 2018 and 2019. He also becomes the first American to win back-to-back Canadian Masters titles since John McEnroe in 1984 and 1985. Shelton also becomes the seventh man ever to win the title in back-to-back years. The title lifts Shelton up to No. 6 in the ATP rankings.
With Shelton, Tien and Nakashima all reaching the semifinals, it marks the first time since 1992 that three Americans had advanced to the semi-finals at the Canadian ATP Masters event.
Shelton's National Bank Open Results
|
Round |
Opponent |
Result |
Sets |
|
Round of 128 |
BYE |
|
|
|
Round of 64 |
No. 74 Jenson Brooksby |
W |
6-3, 7-5 |
|
Round of 32 |
No. 34 Zizou Bergs |
W |
6-3, 6-2 |
|
Round of 16 |
No. 27 Joao Fonseca |
W |
6-3, 7(7)-6(3) |
|
Quarterfinals |
No. 17 Jakub Mensik |
W |
6-3, 6-1 |
|
Semifinals |
No. 19 Learner Tien |
W |
6-2, 6-3 |
|
Finals |
No. 31 Brandon Nakashima |
W |
6-3, 7-6(4) |
Shelton will return to action on Saturday, Aug. 15 at the Cincinnati Open, the final competition before the U.S. Open begins on Aug. 30.
"I couldn't be happier with the way I won this week," Shelton later shared in the press conference. "It was such a good display from me. The way that I moved on the court, the way I struck the ball, my serve and return. I thought I was versatile. I played all-court tennis. And I'm super happy with the way that the match turned out."
After receiving a first-round bye, the former Gator is set to face either Jenson Brooksby, whom he defeated in the Round of 64 in Canada, or a qualifier in the Round of 64 in Cincinnati.
