Canada-Cincinnati Double: Only Nadal Has Done It in the Last 20 Years
After his defeat against Zverev in the semifinals, Shelton ended his chances of achieving the Canada-Cincinnati double. A feat only Nadal has accomplished in the past two decades.
Indeed, the Spaniard secured three consecutive titles during the 2013 North American hardcourt swing. First, he defeated Raonic (6-2, 6-2) in the Canadian Masters 1000 final, then dominated Isner (7-6, 7-6) for the Cincinnati title, and finally triumphed in the US Open final against Djokovic (6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1).
Having won Indian Wells earlier that year, the Mallorcan ended the summer with a 23-match winning streak on hard courts. He also closed the year with two more finals: in Beijing (losing to Djokovic, 6-3, 6-4) and at the ATP Finals (falling again to the Serb, 6-3, 6-4).
Nadal thus joins the exclusive group of four players to complete the Canada-Cincinnati double, alongside Agassi (1995), Rafter (1998), and Roddick (2003).
Despite multiple titles at both tournaments—Federer (twice in Canada, seven times in Cincinnati) and Djokovic (four times in Canada, three times in Cincinnati)—neither managed to achieve this feat.
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