Ben Shelton was left confused by a bizarre interruption to his Canadian Open showdown with Karen Khachanov. The 22-year-old went on to seal his first ATP Masters 1000 crown with a 6-7 6-4 7-6 triumph, becoming the youngest American to do so in two decades.
Late on in their match, Shelton was about to receive Khachanov’s serve when the crowd erupted into a spontaneous cheer. Those in attendance in Toronto leapt to their feet and began celebrating wildly. Clapping continued for several minutes, leaving both players on court stunned. Shelton looked extremely confused and held up his arms to umpire Fergus Murphy. He seemed to mouth: “What’s going on?”
As the crowd continued to cheer, Shelton approached the umpire to get clarity on the strange situation. It soon became clear that fans had learned of Canadian star Victoria Mboko’s sensational victory in the WTA’s Canadian Open final in Montreal. Murphy told Shelton: “I guess the Canadian player has won in Montreal.”
Mboko had indeed defeated the odds by beating Naomi Osaka 2-6 6-4 6-1. It was the 18-year-old’s first WTA Tour title and sealed a remarkable achievement. Mboko will rise to world No. 24 when the rankings are updated on Monday.
Shelton was not deterred by the interruption and went on to win. “I feel like it was a perfect storm for me this week,” he said afterwards.
“A lot of tight matches, long matches, played some of the best tennis that I’ve played this year. And to finish out the week the way that I did, especially with the opponent that I had today, and the way that he was playing, I couldn’t be happier.”
Meanwhile, Mboko defeated childhood idol Osaka despite starting the Canadian Open as a wildcard. She will likely earn herself a seeded spot in the US Open, which begins on August 24.
“I was super happy to be playing in Montreal for the first time ever. I just remember feeling nervous, but really taking in the moment as much as I possibly could,” Mboko said.
“When I won my first round, I was super happy and super content. I would have never thought that I would have made it to the final, let alone win the tournament. I have so many emotions going through my head, I can’t even express it.”