Toronto Masters 1000: Fritz, Shelton, and Cobolli Advance to the Round of 16
Overnight from Friday to Saturday, three seeded players secured their spots in the round of 16 at the Toronto Masters 1000. Second-seeded Taylor Fritz lived up to his ranking in the early stages of the tournament.
The American defeated Gabriel Diallo (6-4, 6-2) in the third round. Chasing his second Masters 1000 title in the coming days, the world No. 4 will face Jiri Lehecka, who earlier took down Arthur Fils.
Another American advancing to the next round is Ben Shelton. Ranked seventh in the ATP standings, the left-hander had a tough battle against Brandon Nakashima. Though he has now beaten his compatriot in all five of their meetings, Shelton had to work hard this time to secure his place.
After a nail-biting match, he emerged victorious in a hard-fought battle (6-7, 6-2, 7-6 in 2h34) and will next face Flavio Cobolli in the round of 16. The Italian, for his part, escaped the trap set by Fabian Marozan.
The Hungarian, who had previously defeated Félix Auger-Aliassime, gave the world No. 17 a few scares. But in the end, Cobolli prevailed in three sets (6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in 1h49), matching his best career performance in a Masters 1000 event.
Last year, he had also reached the round of 16 in Cincinnati before falling to Hubert Hurkacz. If he defeats Shelton, he will compete in his first-ever quarterfinal at this tournament level.
