Ben Shelton defeated fellow American Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4) in the National Bank Open final in Montreal on Friday, becoming the first man since Rafael Nadal in 2019 to win consecutive Canadian Open titles.
Shelton, 23, did not drop a set throughout the tournament and faced no break points in the 87-minute final, converting two of his four break chances. He is only the fourth man this century to successfully defend the Canada title, joining Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Nadal. The victory extended his head-to-head dominance over Nakashima to 6-0.
The Montreal trophy is Shelton's fourth of the 2026 season and seventh of his career, having also won in Dallas, Munich, and Stuttgart. Nakashima, appearing in his first Masters 1000 final, will rise to a career-high No. 22 in the ATP rankings.