ATP Tour

Shelton serves up Mannarino revenge in Toronto, Rublev notches 250th hard-court victory

Ben Shelton produced another dominant serving display on Wednesday in his opening match at the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers, where he brushed aside Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round in Toronto.

The fourth-seeded American won 90 per cent (28/31) of his first-serve points and saved both break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, to capture his first win against the Frenchman in the pair’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

"I have played good matches against him but come up short," said Shelton, who previously lost to Mannarino at the Australian Open (2024) and in Miami (2023). "He makes things really difficult and returns really well. So the way that I served today, to take the racquet out of his hands, I knew I had to be accurate.

"Usually with him a big serve doesn't always work, because his hands are so good and he stands up on the baseline. I have to hit spots and I hit spots really, really well today. I am really happy with the way I served."

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With his 65-minute victory, Shelton recorded his 25th win at an ATP Masters 1000 event. The 22-year-old, competing at a career-high No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has now won eight of his past 10 matches.

"It got a little dicey in that last game but I am happy with the way I stay composed at the end and served it out down break point at the end," Shelton added.

A semi-finalist in Washington last week, Shelton will next meet 25th seed Brandon Nakashima after the American eliminated Ethan Quinn 7-6(6), 6-4. Shelton is seeking his first Masters 1000 title this fortnight in Toronto and is currently ninth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, aiming to make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals this year.

Earlier, Andrey Rublev moved past Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3 to record his 250th victory on hard courts. The 27-year-old, who earned his first tour-level hard-court win in Delray Beach in 2015, finished with a 19-17 winners-to-unforced errors count against Gaston to reach the third round.

"He has amazing touch, amazing legs," Rublev said on Gaston. "It is natural against those kinds of players to have your rhythm broken. So it is important to step in and take time away from them, because all of that is natural for them."

The sixth seed Rublev advanced to the title match at the ATP Masters 1000 event last year, falling to champion Alexei Popyrin. Chasing his second trophy of the season, the Doha titlist will next meet 28th seed Lorenzo Sonego.

In other action on Wednesday, Canadian Gabriel Diallo advanced to the third round at a Masters 1000 event for the second time. Diallo defeated Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-6(5), rallying from 3/5 in the second-set tie-break. The World No. 36 could meet second seed Taylor Fritz next. Fritz plays Roberto Carballes Baena later on Wednesday.

Diallo’s countryman Alexis Galarneau was unable to follow the 23-year-old into the third round. The 13th seed Flavio Cobolli beat the Canadian 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. Miami champion Jakub Mensik also advanced, defeating Tristan Boyer 6-4, 6-4, while Australian Aleksandar Vukic sunk Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-7(2), 6-3.