Shelton at his best to beat 'bully' Khachanov

Ben Shelton became the first American to win an ATP Masters 1000 title in Canada in more than two decades, as the fourth seed defeated Karen Khachanov 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in the Toronto final on Aug 7.

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The 22-year-old also rose one place to sixth in the world rankings, overtaking 24-time Grand Slam singles champion Novak Djokovic.

"It's a surreal feeling," said Shelton, who is the first American since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win the Canadian trophy.

"It's been a long week. It was not an easy path to the final.

"But my best tennis just came out when it mattered the most."

The victory denied 11th seed Khachanov of Russia a chance of a second Masters title, more than six years after he won his first in Paris in 2018.

Shelton, his right quadriceps muscle heavily strapped and at times appearing to be in some discomfort, stormed through a final-set tiebreaker with leads of 3-0 and 5-2 on his opponent.