ATP Tour

Shelton too good in stunning Montreal QF win vs. Mensik, Tien sinks Merida

Ben Shelton continues to thrive as defending champion at the National Bank Open presented by Rogers.

The 23-year-old American made it four straight-sets wins in as many matches at this year’s edition of the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event by powering past Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in Montreal. The No. 10 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Shelton made a dangerous-looking quarter-final appear relatively straightforward with a stunning 73-minute display against the 13th-seeded Mensik.

“It felt great,” Shelton said. “To be honest I was really happy with my return game, the way that I played from the ground from point one for me is where I want to be at. I think that the level that I maintained throughout the match was really high and if I was nitpicking at all, it was just the way I served at the end.

“I kind of lost the rhythm on my serve, but I’m super happy with the way that I played tonight and the performance I came up with. I hope to continue and build on these things in the semis.”

Shelton powered 18 winners and offered up just three unforced errors to overwhelm Mensik and level the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 2-2. The American lefty is now 12-2 at the Canadian ATP Masters 1000 event, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a tally which includes his title run in Toronto a year ago.

The only Top-10 player remaining in the Montreal draw, Shelton will hope to assert his dominance further at IGA Stadium on Wednesday, when he will take on his countryman Learner Tien. Tien leads 2-0 in the pair's rivalry, having most recently defeated Shelton earlier this year in the second round at Indian Wells.

Tien closed Tuesday's play in Montreal with a 6-3, 6-2 victory against Daniel Merida. With his one-hour, 12-minute triumph, the 20-year-old advanced to his first Masters 1000 semi-final.

After dropping serve in the opening game of the first set, Tien regained his composure and did not lose serve for the rest of the clash. The 12th seed converted four of the eight break points he earned en route to his milestone victory, and he will now look to reach the biggest final of his career Wednesday when he faces fellow lefty Shelton.

"No matter how Ben is feeling, he is going to serve well," Tien said about playing Shelton. "He is going to hit a big ball off the baseline. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now. I saw him play earlier today. He is playing very, very well."