Ben Shelton apologised to Karen Khachanov after beating him in the Canadian Open final on Sunday night. The American softened the blow of Khachanov’s defeat by sharing heartfelt words about the Russian and his team following a hard-fought match in Toronto.
Khachanov came close to winning the second ATP Masters 1000 title of his career, and his first for seven years, as he pushed Shelton all the way in a match which needed two tiebreaks in three sets to separate the players. Shelton’s dominance on his first serve ended up swinging the match as he clinched the biggest title of his career to date and shot up to sixth in the live rankings, ahead of Novak Djokovic.
Runner-up Khachanov highlighted the good relationship he has with Shelton and his camp, saying in his on-court interview: “You won your first Masters 1000. I wish you the best. You’re one of the nicest guys on tour. You have a great family, polite, educated. Your father, mother, your whole family. Congratulations.”
And Shelton obliged, with his speech including an apology to Khachanov for snatching the title away from him. “I have a lot to say but I want to start with Karen,” began the 22-year-old. “I’m sorry about tonight. Incredible week.
“I watched a lot of your matches. The level you’ve played this week is really really high. The way you were hitting the ball tonight, not many people in the world can hit the ball like that.
“I’m lucky to have got out of this with the win. But I’m just happy to see you back knocking on the door of the top 10. Vice versa what you said about my team.
“I feel the same with yours. You guys are the same. Class acts. Great friends. Great competitors, but you do things the right way. You work hard week in and week out.
“Whether you’re on a hot streak or losing matches you’re always the same kind guy, gentle giant. It’s an honor to share the court with you every time. I hope we can play a couple more finals in the future.”
Victory in Toronto has moved Shelton to a new career-high ranking, and he is within touching distance of British star Jack Draper, who sits fifth. Both players, along with Khachanov, will be ones to watch at the US Open later this month.