Quarter-final proves a road too hard for de Minaur
Shelton won the first clash between the pair, beating the Australian ninth seed 6-3 6-4 in Toronto on Tuesday (Wednesday AEST).
The fourth-seeded American left-hander was pretty much invulnerable on serve, rocketing down 11 aces to just one from de Minaur.
Tall order: delivered 📮 @NBOtoronto | #NBO25pic.twitter.com/ssAiNKQmun
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 6, 2025
Shelton was also more effective with his return game, converting three of the five break points he set up during the 92-minute match.
De Minaur, who started the contest on an eight-match winning streak, could only take advantage of one of the two break opportunities he was able to muster.
Shelton's victory sets up a clash with second-seeded compatriot Taylor Fritz, who proved too strong for No.6 seed Andrey Rublev, beating the Russian 6-3 7-6 (7-4).
It will be the first all-American semi-final in an ATP Masters 1000 tournament in 15 years.
The other semi on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) will feature top seed and 2017 champion Alexander Zverev, of Germany, up against 11th-seeded Russian Karen Khachanov.
While disappointed with his loss, de Minaur will take encouraging form into the year's final major, the US Open, held on the hard courts in New York from August 24.
De Minaur's efforts in Toronto followed his superb victory in the Washington Open, played on hard courts, where he clinched his 10th career title.
His string of victories in Washington and Toronto keeps him in line for a top-eight seeding at the US Open, where he is a two-time quarter-finalist (2020, 2024).
Before the US Open, de Minaur will compete at the Cincinnati Open, where he is the sixth seed in a tournament that also includes world No.1 Jannik Sinner and No.2 Carlos Alcaraz.
Meanwhile, fellow Australian Alexei Popyrin is projected to climb inside the world's top 20 for the first time at a career-high No.19 next week.
Popyrin has also hit top form at the right time and will be looking to improve on last year's showing at the US Open.
He reached the fourth round at Flushing Meadows in 2024, hot on the heels of winning his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nick Robertson, Maple Leafs Avoid Arbitration With $1.825M One-Year Contract Agreement
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Nick Robertson have reportedly reached a settlement ahead of their arbitration case that was scheduled for Sunday. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, both sides agreed to a contract with a $1.825 million average annual value. The Leafs confirmed it is a one-yeal deal. When a player elects for salary arbitration, the team can choose whether it would be a one or two-year deal, except in the case when the second year eats into the eligibility of unrestricted fee agency. Toronto could have opted for two years in Robertson's case. According to it's a one-year deal, which reduced the available cap space on Toronto's books to $1,107,222 based on a roster of 24 players. Robertson was the last of the 11 player-elected salary arbitration cases in the NHL to be settled, thereby avoiding a hearing. On Friday, Friedman reported that the Leafs submitted comparables with an ask of $2.25 million while the team came in with $1.2 million. Had the case not been settled ahead of the hearing, an arbitrator would have had the final say on Robertson's compensation for the 2025-26 season. Toronto Maple Leafs News and Community Toronto Maple Leafs news, video, analysis and community on The Hockey News Follow all Leafs news at The deal gives Robertson a massive $950,000 raise from his 2024-25 salary. The player signed a one-year, $875,000 deal in September after a summer that included a trade request away from Toronto. 'He's Gone Through Some Stuff Here': Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving Excited to Have Nick Robertson Back A new coach and a clean slate await Nick Robertson who reports to Maple Leafs training camp next week. Robertson established career highs in goals (15) and games (69) last season but was limited to just three of Toronto's 13 playoff games due to lineup decisions. With star forward Mitch Marner departing the Leafs for the Vegas Golden Knights this summer, players like Robertson will be counted on to fill the void Marner leaves behind on a by-committee basis. Drafted by the Leafs in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Robertson has 32 goals and 24 assists in 156 career games spread over five seasons. (Top image credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images) Maple Leafs Risk Major Mistake If Nick Robertson Isn't Signed Or Traded Before Arbitration It should come as no surprise that Nick Robertson's pending player-elected arbitration case is the last of all cases this offseason to reach a conclusion. After all, Robertson's tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs has undeniably been complicated. Drafted by the Maple Leafs in the second round (53rd overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, his six years in Toronto have been filled with more downs than ups. Maple Leafs Forward Nick Robertson Files For Salary Arbitration, Timeline, Reasons And What's Next? For the first time in his tenure with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nick Robertson has leverage. The forward filed for salary arbitration on Saturday, which allows a third party to decide his compensation for the upcoming season. 'The Puzzle Has Got To Come Into Play': Maple Leafs Not Rushing Contracts Of RFAs Nick Robertson And Pontus Holmberg While the talk of the town might be whether the Toronto Maple Leafs can sign John Tavares before July 1 rolls around, you cannot forget about their younger restricted free agents.
New York Times
40 minutes ago
- New York Times
Ben Shelton beats fellow American Taylor Fritz to reach a new career milestone
TORONTO — Under a full moon at Sobeys Stadium in Toronto, Ben Shelton showcased an illuminating performance. Big serve, quick movement, and various shots were all on display in a dominant win. The world No. 7 defeated compatriot Taylor Fritz, 6-4, 6-3, in one hour and 18 minutes Wednesday night to advance to the Canadian Open final. Advertisement No delay to begin the match was going to stop Shelton, 22, from reaching his first ATP Masters 1000 final, another milestone in his blossoming career. There was great anticipation for this contest. The two friends hadn't met since 2023 at Indian Wells, where Fritz won a close three-setter in the second round en route to capturing the tournament. Shelton was a rookie on tour then. The stage doesn't feel too big for the American youngster two years later, on the cusp of his biggest tournament win. To add to the drama, the match began with a 15-minute delay. A technical issue with the electronic line system forced the players to leave the court. The stoppage was brief, and soon their showdown would begin in front of the Toronto crowd. There were tense moments for Shelton to start the match. In his first service game, Shelton faced two break points. He delivered a 118 mph unreturnable serve. Then, after a 15-shot rally on the second break point, Fritz sent a forehand long. Shelton held and was never broken for the rest of the set. At 4-4, Shelton was dictating the pace of the points, forcing Fritz to defend behind the baseline. Like his previous round win against Alex de Minaur, it was Shelton owning the long rallies with deep groundstrokes and punitive slices. Fritz committed back-to-back errors, leading to break point. Shelton connected on a forehand winner that went behind Fritz, giving him the first break of the match. After two winners on the subsequent service game, Shelton claimed the one-set advantage. The dominant Fritz serve, broken just three times in four matches, was in trouble. He faced a superior returner in Shelton, not afraid to be aggressive and control the points. At 2-2, Shelton won points of 16 and 14 shots to get the second break of the match. The break point was notable as Shelton brought Fritz forward and punished him with a perfectly placed lob. The crowd cheered before Shelton motioned for them to get louder. He sensed the finish line was near. Advertisement On match point, Fritz tossed his third double fault, getting broken for a third time before breaking his racquet in half. After congratulatory remarks at the net, Shelton smiled to his team and waved to the crowd. Cheers of 'Let's go, Ben' rang throughout the stadium, supporting the American after this emphatic victory. Shelton's opponent in the final is Karen Khachanov. The Russian outlasted top seed Alexander Zverev, saving a match point before winning 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(4) in two hours and 52 minutes. Khachanov is attempting to win his second ATP Masters 1000 title, after being victorious at the Paris Masters in 2018. As Shelton served for the first set, a fan yelled, 'This is your time!' In less than 24 hours, the time could be Shelton's to capture his maiden Masters 1000 trophy, the potential beginning of a successful North American summer. (Photo of Ben Shelton: Julian Avram / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
ESPN is acquiring NFL Network, rights for RedZone in a deal giving the NFL a stake in the network
Ever since the NFL announced it was looking to sell NFL Network and other media assets, ESPN had been seen as one of the favorites to make a deal. Nearly five years later, a framework is finally in place . The NFL announced Tuesday night that it has entered into a nonbinding agreement with ESPN. Under the terms, ESPN will acquire NFL Network, NFL Fantasy and the rights to distribute the RedZone channel to cable and satellite operators and the league will get a 10% equity stake in ESPN. The league and ESPN still have to negotiate a final agreement and get approval from NFL owners. The agreement will also have to undergo regulatory approvals. 'Sometimes great things take a long time to get to the point where it's right. And we both feel that it is at this stage,' NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a call with The Associated Press. Along with the sale of NFL Network, the NFL and ESPN will have a second nonbinding agreement where the NFL will license to ESPN certain NFL content and other intellectual property that can be used by NFL Network and other assets that have been purchased. 'We have been talking about it in earnest for the last few years. But interestingly enough, we started talking about this over a decade ago but nothing really ended up happening. And we got back at it when I came back to Disney after my retirement,' Disney CEO Bob Iger said in a call with the AP. What ESPN gets ESPN is expected to launch its direct-to-consumer service before the end of September. The service would give cord-cutters access to all ESPN programs and networks for $29.99 per month. The addition of more NFL programming increases the value. Many viewers will receive the service for free as part of their subscription to cable, satellite and most streaming services. 'When I came back to Disney and assessed essentially the future of ESPN, it became clear that ESPN had to launch a bigger and more robust and digital or direct-to-consumer product, not only for the sake of ESPN's business, but for the sports fan,' Iger said. 'And obviously, when you start thinking about high-quality sports content, your eyes immediately head in the direction of the NFL because there's really nothing more valuable and more popular than that.' NFL Network — which has nearly 50 million subscribers — would be owned and operated by ESPN and would be included in ESPN's direct-to-consumer product. The NFL RedZone channel would be distributed by ESPN to cable and satellite operators. However, the NFL will continue to own, operate and produce the channel as well as retain the rights to distribute the channel digitally. ESPN would also get rights to the RedZone brand, meaning RedZone channels for college football and basketball or other sports could be coming in the future. NFL Fantasy Football would merge with ESPN Fantasy Football, giving ESPN the official fantasy football game of the league. NFL Network will still air seven games per season. Four of ESPN's games, including some that are in overlapping windows on Monday nights, would move to NFL Network. ESPN will license three additional games that will be carried on NFL Network. What the NFL receives (and retains) The league gets a 10% equity stake in ESPN. Aidan O'Connor, a senior vice president at the Prosek Partners marketing firm, estimates the value of that would be $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion. ESPN is currently 80% owned by ABC Inc. as an indirect subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. The other 20% is owned by Hearst. Once the deal is official and approved, the breakdown of ESPN will be 72% ABC Inc., 18% Hearst and 10% NFL. This isn't the first time the league has had an equity stake in a digital or communications business. It had that in the past with Sirius Satellite Radio and SportsLine. The NFL could also have equity in the newly formed 'Paramount Skydance Corporation,' which owns CBS, due to the league's partnership with Skydance. 'This is new as far as a partner now operating a business that we built, ran and grew,' said Hans Schroeder, the NFL's executive vice president of media distribution. 'It'll also be a little bit new again with some of the dynamics here, but we'll continue to balance that in a really arm's length way where we'll think about how we manage and work across to all our partners.' The league will continue to own and operate NFL Films, NFL+, the official websites of the 32 teams, the NFL Podcast Network and the NFL FAST Channel (a free ad-supported streaming channel). 'The moves align with the NFL's longstanding ambition to reach $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027 — a target first set in 2010, when league revenue stood at approximately $8.5 billion,' O'Connor said. 'Financially, the move also signals to investors that ESPN is doubling down on differentiation and content stickiness by offering a scarce and premium product in a crowded marketplace. Intentionally ceding equity to the NFL transforms ESPN from a media licensee into a true platform partner — with few properties rivaling the league in terms of cultural significance, appointment viewing, audience reach, and monetization efficiency.' No major changes yet Viewers will likely not see any immediate impacts until next year once everything is approved. Besides ESPN, the biggest winner in this could be NFL Network, which had seen reductions in original programming the past couple years. 'Total Access,' the network's flagship show since its launch in 2003, ended in May 2024 amid a series of layoffs and cost-cutting moves. 'Good Morning Football' also moved from New York, where it had been since its start in 2016, to Southern California last year. NFL Network moved to a broadcast facility across the street from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, in 2021. 'The thing that's exciting for us is that we have put a lot into the network. I think it's been very effective for fans. We know it's in good hands,' Goodell said. 'They're innovative, they recognize great production and know how to produce it. They will do a fantastic job of operating the network and taking it to another level.' ___ AP NFL:
