Ben Shelton’s pursuit of consecutive Masters 1000 victories concluded in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati Open. After capturing the Canadian Open title in Toronto with a win over Karen Khachanov, Shelton aimed to add the Cincinnati trophy to his achievements but fell short against Alexander Zverev, losing 2-6, 2-6.
The 22-year-old American, ranked world number six, began the Cincinnati tournament strongly, dispatching Camilo Ugo Carabelli, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Jiri Lehecka without dropping a set. However, his progress ended abruptly in the quarterfinals, ending hopes of securing back-to-back Masters titles in North America in the same season.
Rafael Nadal’s Historic 2013 Double Victory at Canadian and Cincinnati Tournaments
Only three players have managed the difficult feat of winning both the Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open in the same year since the inception of the Masters series in 1990: Andre Agassi (1995), Andy Roddick (2003), and Rafael Nadal (2013). Nadal’s remarkable accomplishment began in Montreal, where, as the fourth seed, he efficiently overcame his early opponents to face the top seed Novak Djokovic in a tightly contested semifinal.
In his path to the 2013 Canadian Open final, Nadal defeated Jesse Levine (6-2, 6-0), Jerzy Janowicz (7-6, 6-4), and Marinko Matosevic (6-2, 6-4). The semifinal against Djokovic featured a tense moment during the third set, but Nadal prevailed 6-4, 3-6, 7-6. He then defeated Canadian Milos Raonic decisively, 6-2, 6-2, to claim the title.
Traveling to Cincinnati, Nadal faced formidable challengers including Benjamin Becker, Grigor Dimitrov, Roger Federer, and Tomas Berdych, edging all in three-set matches or tiebreakers to reach the final. Standing opposite American John Isner in the final, Nadal leveraged strong crowd support and won two close tiebreakers, 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-3), cementing his place as one of the select few to win both tournaments that year.
Reflecting on the difficulty of the achievement after his victory, Nadal remarked on the unique challenges of winning consecutive Masters 1000 events.
It’s very difficult to win a Masters 1000,
he said.
We play from the first round against the best players in the world, top 50 players in the world. In other kinds of tournaments, you can have good draws. Here, you cannot have good draws.
Winning back‑to‑back tournaments is, first of all, difficult because, first thing, the courts are not exactly the same. The weather conditions are not exactly the same. The rivals bring your body and your tennis to the limit
I was lucky. I was close to losing against Roger [Federer] the other day. I was close to losing against Novak [Djokovic] in Montreal. I was close today. So I was able to save a few matches that were very, very close.
—Rafael Nadal, Professional Tennis Player
Recent Trends for Canadian Open Champions at Cincinnati
Since Nadal’s 2013 success, no player has managed to reach the final in Cincinnati immediately following a Canadian Open victory. The challenge remains formidable, with five out of eight players who competed in Cincinnati after winning in Canada falling in their opening matches.
This statistic underscores the difficulty of clinching both prestigious titles within the same season, emphasizing the physical and mental demands of back-to-back Masters 1000 events held under varying conditions.
Although Ben Shelton’s run was halted, his performance demonstrates the growing competitiveness and rising talent in the ATP ranks. Looking ahead, tennis enthusiasts will watch closely to see if another player can join the exclusive group of Agassi, Roddick, and Nadal by conquering both tournaments in the same year, perhaps as soon as the 2026 season.