Shelton breaks his curse with the Masters 1000 in 2026: "I've had a strange year"

Ben Shelton has performed well in his third-round match at the ATP Montreal 2026 against Zizou Bergs, overpowering him to advance to the round of 16 and keep his chances of defending the title intact. Additionally, this victory ends his struggles with the Masters 1000 in 2026, where he had not been able to secure two consecutive wins until now. 

While Shelton is having success at ATP 500, his results in Grand Slams and Masters 1000 leave much to be desired, in a season where he has taken a slight step back in tournaments of this category. However, there was no better place to break that bad streak than in Canada, where he is defending last year's title, something he discussed in the press conference after his victory.

Shelton analyzes his victory over Bergs

It started well. You can't say you always expect to go on the court and win 6-3 6-2. I think there’s always some setback, some problem, some difficulty, complicated matches when you step on the court. Yes, the result was very good today, but I don't think the score reflects the whole reality.

Did the Washington tournament help you adapt to hard courts?

Yes. In my case, I have usually gone far in Wimbledon. This time I lost early and I've always played in Washington. It’s a good week to warm up, get going, and playing three tournaments before the US Open is good for getting in shape.

Dissatisfied with his serve

I just said that I could do better. It was fine. I made eight aces. So yes, very below my average in aces. I served well today. In my opinion, I could have improved my sliced serve. The flat serves worked very well, and the percentage of first serves was good. But yes, as I said, it could be better, it could be worse.

Shelton reveals why he went to practice after the match

I think it’s good for me. Sometimes, especially when you have the day off tomorrow, it’s nice to be able to work today and take it a little easier tomorrow. I will definitely keep practicing, but it’s good to go. I go out and work on a few things while I'm still hot and keep it fresh in my mind.

First time in 2026 winning two matches in a row in a Masters 1000

I’ve had a strange year in the Masters 1000. It’s been tough for me, but in these two summer tournaments, I always play well. I think, in my case, losing so early in the Masters 1000, like I did earlier this year, was more bad luck. And I believe that, based on how these tournaments are organized, especially the hard court ones, there’s no reason I can't have good performances in them. It’s something I struggled with early in my career, adapting to having the day off. Now I feel very comfortable in these tournaments, and I’m glad to have overcome that phase I was going through this year.

Legacy in Canada after winning last year

I think it would be great. I believe that it is one of the toughest tournaments to maintain consistent performance, as it changes venues every year, but it is very important for me. Obviously, since it is my first Masters 1000 title, it will always be a special tournament to be here and the experience I had last year was truly amazing. So yes, I would say yes.

Fan favorite after the fall of other big names?

No, I wouldn’t say that. I think it’s probably similar to last year. I believe the crowd generally supports me quite well here. That’s usually the case in North America. But I definitely feel the love here, just as I felt it in Toronto last year.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Shelton rompe su maleficio con los Masters 1000 en 2026: "He tenido un año extraño"