Khachanov to face Shelton for Toronto title

Ben Shelton reached his first Masters 1000 final early Thursday as he demolished US compatriot Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-3 to move to the ATP Toronto final against Karen Khacanov.

Shelton needed barely 75 minutes to dismiss second seed Fritz, the US Open finalist.

Khachanov will play his 11th career ATP final as he bids for a second Masters shield after winning Paris Bercy in 2018.

Khachanov came from 3-1 down in the final set tiebreaker as he knocked out top seed Alexander Zverev 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), a three-hour struggle.

Klachanov had lost both of his previous semi-finals in Canada.

The Fritz-Shelton match was paused before the start due to a problem with the electronic linecalling system but was restored after 15 minutes so the match could go on.

Khachanov saved a match point while Zverev committed 44 unforced errors.

“I had to work out this match, dig deep and try my best,” Khachanov said. “It was very demanding physically and mentally.

“We’ve had a lot of matches and I’m happy to beat him after losing some easy ones,” he added. “Today was a tough one – I was match point down.

“I’m just happy things went on my side at the end.”

Fritz had saved four break points early in the match but his level never matched the Shelton energy. The match ended on a Fritz double-fault..

“I’m happy with my level and how I executed,” Shelton said. “I’ve seen a lot of improvement this week.

“I’m happy with how I’m playing, there’s a lot to be proud about. I felt I had the ball on a string.

“I’m excited to play like this, hitting the ball and expecting it to go in.”