Coco Gauff’s Ex-Coach Breaks Silence on Ben Shelton’s Canadian Open Controversy

High off a win vs Brandon Nakashima, Ben Shelton was ready. On Sunday night, he was hopeful of picking up not just his 100th tour-level win after defeating Flavio Cobolli. Shelton was also looking to move one step closer to reaching a Canadian Open final for the first time—he fell to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals last year (6-3, 6-7 (3-7), 5-7), and was eliminated in the second round vs Carlos Alcaraz (3-6, 6-7 (3-7)) in 2023. “I think it’s still just as difficult,” the 22-year-old had said, discussing the mass withdrawal of players for the event. Heads-up: His prediction was somewhat right.

While the US star opened with a 6-4 in the first set, his Italian counterpart hit back with a similar 6-4. Trailing 4-2 in the third set, Shelton, however, surged down the stretch to sprint across the finish line with a 7-6(1). We agree that’s already enough action, but what happened later seems to be dominating headlines instead. As the duo stood by the net for the post-match handshake, cameras captured them deep in conversation over a gesture seemingly made by the Italian during their third-set tiebreak.

The pair then moved toward the umpire’s chair where they reportedly conversed for a “for a further 60 seconds”. “You deserved this match but it’s not always you,” Cobolli was also heard saying. When asked about the conversation later, Shelton further divulged, “Yeah, we talked about it. He said (the gesture) wasn’t towards me. We’re good. We talked about it in the locker room, so I’m not going to answer any more questions about that. There’s no story, we’re good, that’s it, so, thanks.” Now, as we debate whether he’s telling the truth  or trying to brush it under the rug, perhaps Brad Gilbert’s opinion might be of help.

Taking to his official X handle on August 3, the Gilbert (who coached Coco Gauff for a little over a year last year) wrote, “I’ve watched a few videos online doesn’t look like that much between Gimme Shelton and Cobolli obviously very tight match in the heat of the moment.” The legendary coach completely downplayed the controversy and explained that the match was closely contested and hence such a moment had taken place. Nonetheless, it was all within the boundary and no further action was taken in this regard.

Amid the controversy, it also helps that Shelton praised his opponent for putting on a great show in the pre-quarterfinal battle.

Ben Shelton extends credit where it’s due

The 22-year-old has had a tough going so far at the Canadian Open. Although he advanced to the last eight, Shelton has had to fight his way through this stage. While he began his campaign here with a straight-set win, Shelton took three sets to defeat Brandon Nakashima in the round of 32. Subsequently, against Cobolli as well, Shelton had to dig deep to pick out the win.

After the match, Shelton said, “Yeah, I think I was really mentally tough tonight. I got to give credit to Flavio; he did a lot of things throughout the match that made it difficult. I thought he played very well. He’s really fast, neutralizes a lot of things that I do well, and that’s always a tough matchup for me, so just happy to come through it…”

Shelton will next face Alex de Minaur in the last eight. The Australian star is coming off winning the Citi Open title, and it promises to be an exciting clash ahead.