American power play: Ben Shelton & Madison Keys dominate Canadian Open debuts

Ben Shelton and Madison Keys secured straightforward wins in their respective Canadian Open debuts. Both Americans are starting their campaigns strong in Toronto and Montreal, where they both appear as strong title contenders.

Twenty-two-year-old Shelton was coming off a semifinal loss at the DC Open to Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, but he managed to bounce back in his return, this time in Toronto. He claimed a simple victory over veteran Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3 after just over an hour of play, advancing to the third round.

On the other hand, Keys was making her hardcourt debut after the grass-court swing, in her first tournament since Wimbledon. The 2025 Australian Open champion had no trouble against Laura Siegemund, sweeping past the veteran German 6-2, 6-1.

The world No. 7 was the clear favorite against Mannarino, who has been looking out of his best rhythm for a while. The 37-year-old Frenchman is barely ranked world No. 94, although he had a good run in the tournament, coming through qualifying and then winning his opening match by eliminating American Marcos Giron.

Twenty-two-year-old Shelton was firm on serve, as is his custom, giving his opponent few opportunities. He also consistently troubled his opponent on return. In Mannarino's very first service game, Shelton created three break opportunities – which he couldn't convert – but he secured the break in the 4th game, taking a 3-1 lead. The American had won his first 10 service points consecutively and was up 3-1, but Mannarino reacted on return. The Frenchman had his first break point in a contested game but couldn't convert it. Without giving chances on his serve, Shelton closed out the set 6-2 after just 34 minutes.

The second set began with both players serving well, winning easy games on both sides. In fact, they had conceded virtually no points during the first half of the set. Shelton was up 4-3 when his first chances arrived at the opportune moment. He took his third break point and went up 5-3. The American showed a bit of nerves while trying to close out the match, facing a break point against him, but good first serves ultimately gave him the set and the win without complications, 6-2, 6-3, guaranteeing his spot.

The 4th seed still awaits his opponent from the all-American clash between Brandon Nakashima (25th seed) and Ethan Quinn.

Madison Keys had a notable run at the start of the year on hardcourts, securing titles at the Brisbane International and the Australian Open, appearing as the best player on hardcourts in the initial part of the year. Returning to her favorite surface, she is undoubtedly a title candidate in a tournament where she reached the final in 2016.

The world No. 8 started with some doubts on her serve, saving three break points against her in the first game – and then suffering a break in her second service game. As the games progressed, Keys gained confidence on serve, something Siegemund never managed throughout the match. Keys capitalized on her opponent's errors, securing three breaks before closing out the set 6-2, with a 75% first-serve percentage and winning 61% of those points.

Towards the second set, Siegemund had an 88% first-serve percentage but a poor 33% effectiveness. With this, Keys once again took control, getting an early break that put her up 3-0. Although the German managed to defend her serve one last time, the American ultimately pressed the accelerator and secured the straightforward 6-2, 6-1 victory.

In the third round, she awaits the winner between Rebecca Sramkova (31st seed) and Caty McNally.