Ben Shelton wins National Bank Open men's title, defends Montreal crown
The 23-year-old American fifth seed defeated Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 in one hour 27 minutes on centre court at IGA Stadium.
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Ben Shelton has won back-to-back titles at the National Bank Open, defeating fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 (4) on Thursday night at IGA Stadium.
Shelton, seeded fifth, dominated with a 230-kilometre-per-hour serve that never faced a break point. The 23-year-old captured his second career ATP Masters 1000 title—he won the Toronto event last year—and climbed to sixth in the tour rankings.
Nakashima, seeded 28th, managed just 17 per cent of his return points and finished the match without winning a single break point. The two-time Grand Slam champ had 12 unforced errors in the opening set alone, nearly triple Shelton's total. The first set lasted 32 minutes. In the tiebreak, Shelton ripped a cross-court forehand to go up 4-2, then held serve to clinch the match.
The men's tournament draws to Montreal this year; it moves to Toronto next year while Montreal hosts the women's event. The 12-day event drew record attendance of more than 309,492 despite five rain-interrupted sessions and major absences: top-ranked Jannik Sinner, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic all skipped the tournament, and local hope Félix Auger-Aliassime withdrew with a back injury hours before his opening match.
In the doubles final, Brazil's Rafael Matos and Orlando Luz defeated Croatia's Mate Pavic and El Salvador's Marcelo Arevalo.
The facts
Who won the National Bank Open men's title?
Ben Shelton, the 23-year-old American fifth seed, won the National Bank Open men's title on Thursday, August 13, 2026, defeating Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6 at IGA Stadium.
How many titles has Ben Shelton won at this tournament?
Ben Shelton has won back-to-back titles at the National Bank Open, capturing his second career ATP Masters 1000 title after winning the Toronto event the previous year.
What was the attendance at the National Bank Open?
The 12-day National Bank Open drew record attendance of more than 309,492, despite five rain-interrupted sessions and several top players being absent.
