Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz’s much-anticipated semifinal encounter at the Canadian Open just witnessed an unexpected twist. Shelton had secured his spot in the last four after besting Aussie Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinal encounter. On the other hand, World No.4 Fritz overcame Russian star Andrey Rublev to set up an all-American face-off. Tennis lovers were keen on seeing these two lock horns to snatch the ticket for this week’s summit clash in Toronto. Unfortunately, the hype and anticipation were ruined just moments before this matchup. The two rivals left the court before they could kick off the action. But why?

Remember how a problem in the Electronic Line Calling system at Wimbledon had required a point to be replayed during the quarterfinal match between Fritz and Karen Khachanov? Well, seems like it was far from the American’s last salty tryst with the innovation, as his bad luck has followed him all the way to Toronto.

On X, it was reported by The First Serve that Shelton and Fritz were “forced off court” just minutes before their semifinal battle. The two had even warmed up but the excitement ended before it could take off. As it turns out, a bizarre technical issue related to electronic line calling (ELC) is responsible for the unexpected chaos at the Centre Court.

Update: As reported by The Athletic‘s Lukas Weese, fortunately, the action didn’t take long to resume after the ELC issue was resolved in fifteen minutes.

Now speaking of the match itself, Shelton didn’t waste too much time after stepping on the court following an initial pause. He snatched the first set (6-4) against compatriot Taylor Fritz. The latter had previously won their maiden encounter, back in 2023, during the Indian Wells. But guess what? Shelton finally settled the scores on Wednesday night.

In what was expected to be a nail-biting thriller, the 22-year-old American turned it into a one-sided show. Shelton eventually ousted his compatriot to confirm his maiden ATP 1000 career final with a score line of 6-4, 6-3. And his post-match reaction was far from ordinary.

Ben Shelton is “hungry” for more after entering the Canadian Open final

World No.7 Ben Shelton dominated his fellow American with an amazing service game. Not to mention his attacks from the baseline kept Fritz restricted. So much so that the 27-year-old was seen snapping his racket in frustration after committing a double fault that closed out the match.

After winning the battle, Shelton only had one clear message to share, declaring his zeal to keep getting better. “Even more uncharted territory. Humble and Hungry,” he wrote on the courtside camera’s lens. Clearly, the main goal now is to clinch his first-ever ATP 1000 Masters trophy. He came very close to winning the first title of the season in Washington, but crashed out of the semis.

But it seems like Toronto could be the place where he finally hits the “sweet spot” he has been looking for. “I’ve seen so many big improvements in my game this week, that’s what I’m most happy about, how I’m executing, how little I’m hesitating, how I’m returning,” he said during the on-court interview. “I’m just really excited to see myself executing like this, not wondering if the shot is going to go in or out, but expecting it to go in…”

On Thursday night, Shelton will go up against Russian star Karen Khachanov. The latter is coming off his big victory against World No.3 and German pro Alexander Zverev, who also faced a bit of an interruption in the quarter-final, thanks to a heckler. Khachanov beat him 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in a tight semifinal face-off.

Now what may work in favor of the American is his H2H record against Khachanov. In their only meeting that took place earlier this season in Indian Wells, the American ATP pro emerged victorious. During the R32, he beat Khachanov with a score line of 6-3, 7-5. Will he be able to repeat that performance in the Canadian Open final? Only time will tell.

What are your thoughts on Shelton’s sensational form this week? Can he really win his biggest career title against a tough Russian opponent? Let us know in the comments below.