Montreal, 12 August (H.S.): Defending champion Ben Shelton of the United States continued his impressive run at the Canada Open, also known as the Montreal Open, reaching the semi-finals with a dominant straight-sets victory over Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik. Shelton defeated Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in the quarter-final.

The 23-year-old Shelton registered his fourth consecutive victory at this year’s Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event and has yet to drop a set across all four matches.

Against Mensik, Shelton produced an efficient all-round performance, striking 18 winners while committing just three unforced errors. He won 89 per cent of the points behind his first serve and did not face a single break point throughout the match.

Shelton also unleashed a serve clocked at 147 miles per hour during the contest, underlining the power that has been a key feature of his game throughout the tournament.

“It felt great. I was really happy with my return game. The way I played from the first point, that is the level I want to maintain. I’m really pleased with how I managed to sustain that level throughout the match, and hopefully I can carry it into the semi-final,” Shelton said after the victory.

Shelton to Face Learner Tien

Shelton, the only remaining top-10 player in the Montreal draw, will face American 12th seed Learner Tien in the semi-final.

Tien holds a 2-0 head-to-head record against Shelton, having won both of their previous encounters. Earlier this year, Tien also defeated Shelton in the second round at Indian Wells.

Tien advanced to his first ATP Masters 1000 semi-final after beating Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-2 in the quarter-final. The 20-year-old American completed the victory in one hour and 12 minutes.

Tien has enjoyed a notable breakthrough season. He reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final at the Australian Open before making his maiden Masters quarter-final appearance at Indian Wells. He also captured the first clay-court title of his career in Geneva.

Reflecting on his upcoming semi-final against Shelton, Tien said: “No matter what position Ben is in, he is going to serve well. He is going to hit the ball hard from the baseline. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now. I have watched him play before, and he is performing very, very well.”

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar