Shelton makes an early statement
At the IGA Stadium in Montreal, it was an all-American affair that awaited the crowd: Ben Shelton, seeded fifth at the tournament and defending champion of the Canadian Open, faced Jenson Brooksby, who had arrived ranked 74th in the world. It was the first meeting between the two Americans on the ATP Tour — and Shelton left no doubt from the outset as to who would dominate the contest.
In the first set, Shelton controlled proceedings with his serve and kept Brooksby under relentless pressure. The left-hander's first-serve percentage stood at a solid 66 percent, and when that first serve landed, Shelton won an impressive 75 percent of points. Brooksby had little answer: the world No. 74 managed to win just 25 percent of return points on Shelton's first serve. His return game was rendered ineffective throughout. Shelton converted his break points clinically and claimed the opening set 6-3.
A tighter second set, but a clear result
In the second set, Brooksby showed greater resistance and held firm for longer. At 5-5, a tiebreak looked possible, but Shelton demonstrated the composure required in the key moments. He saved break points — successfully defending 67 percent of them — and seized his own opportunity at 5-5 to deliver the decisive break. Shelton closed out the set and the match 7-5.
The final statistics told a clear story: Shelton won 54 percent of all points, and his serve was nothing short of a statement of dominance, with 91 percent of service games held. Brooksby, by contrast, won just 30 percent of return games — nowhere near enough to seriously trouble the favourite.
Defending champion on track
Ben Shelton arrived in Montreal carrying significant pressure. As the 2024 Canadian Open champion with 1,000 ranking points to defend, this opening performance was an important step. A quarterfinal exit in Washington D.C. had only sharpened his appetite for a strong run in Montreal.
The Atlanta-born left-hander has already claimed three titles on three different surfaces this season — hard court in Dallas, clay in Munich and grass in Stuttgart. Brooksby, meanwhile, had come into the match on the back of a first-round win over qualifier Adam Walton, 6-3, 6-4, but was clearly outclassed against Shelton. With this second-round victory, Shelton moves on and remains firmly on course to defend his title in Montreal.
