Ben Shelton bested his countryman Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4) to successfully defend his Canadian Open crown on Thursday. The lefty didn’t drop a set across his six matches as he was in sublime form throughout the tournament.

With this win, Shelton became the fourth man this century to successfully defend the Canadian title after Andy Murray (2009-10), Novak Djokovic (2011-12) and Rafael Nadal (2018-19).

“For me to play the way that I played this week to go through this draw speaks to the work I have been putting in,” Shelton said following his win. “It also speaks to my mental toughness, my ability to focus through everything that was going on this week.”

Shelton faced no break points throughout the match and converted two of the four break points he earned. With this win, Shelton improved his head-to-head record against Nakashima to 6-0.

“I couldn’t be happier with the way I won this week,” Shelton later shared in the press conference. “It was such a good display from me. The way that I moved on the court, the way I struck the ball, my serve and return. I thought I was versatile. I played all-court tennis. And I’m super happy with the way that the match turned out.”

On the other hand, Nakashima gave his gratitude to his team and family for their support after having a superb run in Montreal.

“I want to say thank you to my team for all the help and support throughout my whole career. My dad, my mother, my brother, I really have to thank all of them for everything in my career…. It really is one of the best weeks of my life.”

Nakashima will be in action in the Cincinnati Open.