Ben Shelton is having a dream run this week in Toronto. The 22-year-old American resurrected himself in the fourth round recently against Italy’s Flavio Cobolli. The latter almost had him in the deciding set. So after making his way into the quarter-finals at the Canadian Open, Shelton felt relieved. “I gave myself a second chance and I did a good job with it, kind of running from there.” And now as he battles Alex de Minaur to reach his maiden Masters semi-final, the road he is to take in Cincinnati has already been paved, and the terrain is more than just tricky.
When the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open, Shelton’s path sort of got eased up. Otherwise, he might have gone through them in the latter stages. But in Cincinnati, the American won’t be able to escape the ‘SinCaraz’ threat. To begin with, he’s got a Bye in the first round. Which means Shelton will kick off his campaign directly in the second round, where he may face the winner between Camilo Ugo Carabelli and Kei Nishikori.
But it’s the third round from where Shelton’s path may really get tough. He might be up against British star Cameron Norrie. The latter had a great run at Wimbledon last month, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Alcaraz. In case Shelton manages to beat Norrie, he still won’t be able to catch his breath. Why? In the fourth round, the American may go up against Russian star Daniil Medvedev. And if the American gets past him, too, he will likely face World No.3 Alexander Zverev. The latter bested him last season in Cincinnati. However, the road to the final will only get scarier for Shelton even if he somehow wins against the German pro. Carlos Alcaraz will be waiting for him in the semis. And if that’s not enough, the summit clash will pit him right in front of World No.1 Jannik Sinner (provided Shelton actually beats the Spaniard).
Plenty of firepower with @BenShelton and co pic.twitter.com/EHzCE2NkCb
— Cincinnati Open (@CincyTennis) August 5, 2025
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