Ben Shelton encouraged to copy Taylor Fritz and make one key change to his game despite reaching the final in Canada

Ben Shelton has made another breakthrough in Canada as he looks to build form before the US Open.

For all his success at the Grand Slam level, Shelton hadn’t been able to produce his best tennis at the Masters 1000 level, at least until his latest trip to Toronto.

Kicking off his Canadian Open campaign with a convincing win over Adrian Mannarino, Shelton soon found himself involved in two, three-set thrillers.

Outlasting his fellow American Brandon Nakashima, 6-7, 6-2, 7-6, Shelton then defeated Flavio Cobolli in a controversial last-16 clash.

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In the quarterfinals, Australia’s Alex de Minaur was beaten in straight sets, before Shelton took down world number four Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 6-3.

As he prepares for his first Masters 1000 final, where he will play Russia’s Karen Khachanov, Shelton has been given some interesting advice.

Spencer Segura tells Ben Shelton to copy Taylor Fritz and become ‘steadier’

During the latest episode of ‘Advantage Connors’, Jimmy Connors asked his guest, Spencer Segura, a question about Shelton.

“If you could make one change to [Ben] Shelton and say if you could do this, this would take your game to another level, what would that be?” he asked.

In response, former top-200 player Segura suggested Shelton should take a page out of Fritz’s book.

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“Second serve return off the backhand. I mean, put every ball in play. He has to put every second serve [in play]. I would just have him return every ball down the middle on his backhand,” said Segura.

“These guys are standing back, so return of serve is what I would work on. Maybe have him step in, and then when he is up, I would have him hit that forehand.

“He can play that big game. He has a huge forehand that pulls them out. Any time you can pull them out with that [do it].

“He has got to get steadier. That is one thing Fritz has done.

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“He is much steadier than he ever was, and he’s not going to give away points.”

Segura may have been wise to advise Shelton to become ‘steadier’ as he gave away more free points than Fritz during their semifinal match.

Whilst Shelton hit more winners than Fritz, he also made more unforced errors, which could have cost him against a different opponent.

Player Winners Unforced errors Total points won Ben Shelton 21 27 64 Taylor Fritz 11 22 48 Stats from Ben Shelton v Taylor Fritz

Shelton will try to take on all the advice he can, as he edges closer to becoming the number-one-ranked American player on the ATP Tour.

Ben Shelton closes gap to Taylor Fritz in the ATP rankings

Fritz has been the top American player on tour for quite some time now, having enjoyed a career-best year in 2024.

However, the gap isn’t as large as it once was, and it may just be a matter of time before Shelton takes Fritz’s spot as the number-one-ranked American.

American rank ATP rank Name Live points Gap to #1 1 4 Taylor Fritz 5,485 – 2 7 Ben Shelton 3,970 1,515 3 14 Frances Tiafoe 2,890 2,595 4 16 Tommy Paul 2,620 2,865 5 31 Brandon Nakashima 1,700 3,785 Top-five American players on the ATP Tour (Live Rankings)

Shelton currently trails Fritz by 1,515 points in the Live rankings, although that gap could close by a further 350 points should the 22-year-old beat Khachanov to win his first Masters 1000 title.

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A gap of 1,000+ points may seem large, but it shouldn’t be overlooked just how many points Fritz has to defend between now and the end of the season.

Thanks to his impressive performances in New York and Turin a year ago, Fritz will be under pressure to deliver more of the same in 2025.

Taylor Fritz’s points to defend in 2025

Ben Shelton’s points to defend in 2025

With 1,680 fewer points to defend, Shelton has a great chance of taking the American number-one ranking from Fritz between now and the end of the season.

He’ll first try to get his hands on the Canadian Open title when he plays Khachanov in the final on Thursday, August 7.

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