Ben Shelton is the highest seed left in the National Bank Open presented by Rogers draw and underlined his title credentials on Friday, when he moved past Zizou Bergs 6-3, 6-2 to reach the fourth round in Montreal.
The fifth seed Shelton is the defending champion, having triumphed in Toronto last year, and the 23-year-old has made a faultless start to his campaign this week. After defeating Jenson Brooksby in straight sets in his opening match, the American produced an impressive serving display against World No 34 Bergs.
Shelton won all 16 of his service points in the second set and made 70 per cent of his first serves overall to record consecutive ATP Masters 1000 wins for the first time this season. Shelton is the only Top-10 player left in the field and will next meet Casper Ruud or Joao Fonseca.
"It was a good day for me," Shelton said. "I thought I managed the match really well. Especially with the way he came out serving. I had to make some adjustments to get into the return games and find ways to break, but down the stretch, I thought that I played great tennis and kept my foot on the gas when I got the lead. I am super happy."