MONTREAL (AP) — Defending champion Ben Shelton beat fellow American Learner Tien 6-2, 6-3 on Wednesday night to advance to the National Bank Open final.
The fifth-seeded Shelton will face Brandon Nakashima in an all-American final. The 28th-seeded Nakashima beat 19-year-old Rafael Jodar of Spain 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the first semifinal to reach his first ATP Masters 1000 final.
Shelton has six career victories, with the 23-year-old player winning this year in Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart.
“Super happy with the performance,” Shelton said. “Learner is a guy who presents me with a lot of problems in my game. A tough challenge to overcome. To get a win over him in the fashion that I did, I’m super pleased with that.”
The 20-year-old Tien was seeded 12th.
Nakashima won his lone tour title in 2022 in San Diego.
“Going into the tournament, I knew I was playing at a really high level, so I knew that I could get a go on a deep run here,” Nakashima said. “Obviously, wasn’t thinking about the final or anything."
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
