Defending champion Ben Shelton returned to the National Bank Open presented by Rogers final Wednesday evening, when the American defeated countryman Leaner Tien 6-2, 6-3.
Having lost both of his previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings with Tien, Shelton made sure history did not repeat itself in Montreal, delivering a measured performance to defeat the 20-year-old, who was competing in his first Masters 1000 semifinal.
"I am super happy with the performance," Shelton, who is yet to drop a set this fortnight, said. "Learner is a guy who presents me with a lot of problems in my game. A tough challenge to overcome. To get a win over him in the fashion that I did, I'm super pleased with that."
After fending off a break point each in his opening two service games, Shelton quickly settled into the match and found greater consistency on serve. The fifth seed also matched Tien’s intensity from the baseline, edging him in the longer exchanges, motoring to victory in one hour and 24 minutes. The 23-year-old finished having saved all four break points he faced and won 81 per cent (35/43) of his first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.