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Ben Shelton beat Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in 73 minutes, Learner Tien defeated Daniel Merida 6-3, 6-2 and Brandon Nakashima beat Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3 as three Americans reached the Montreal semi-finals for the first time since 1992. Rafael Jodar also advances.
Shelton hasn’t dropped a set. Tien hasn’t stopped improving. Nakashima reached his first Masters 1000 semi-final. And Jodar, who arrived in Montreal seeded 20th, is still standing. The 2026 National Bank Open semi-final lineup — Shelton vs Tien and Nakashima vs Jodar — is the most American-heavy last four in Canada since Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and MaliVai Washington in 1992.
Tuesday at IGA Stadium began with two quarterfinals postponed from Monday by rain, continued with the evening session as scheduled, and ended with the clearest picture yet of what this year’s Montreal Masters has become. Four players remain. Three are American. None has been here before in a Masters 1000 semi-final — except Shelton, who won the title last year.
Shelton: Dominant From Start to Finish
Ben Shelton made it four straight-sets wins from four matches with the most one-sided performance of the tournament. He beat 13th seed Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1 in just 73 minutes. Mensik finished with 16 unforced errors to Shelton’s three and committed three double faults to his opponent’s one. Shelton won 78% of his first-serve points and converted both break point opportunities.
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“It felt great. My serve and my forehand have been really in form the last couple of weeks. I haven’t lost a set in this tournament, which is amazing for me,” Shelton said. He snapped a two-match losing streak against Mensik — both previous defeats came last season. In the semi-finals, he faces Learner Tien.
Tien: “Better and Better Each Match”
Learner Tien finished off a long evening with a composed 6-3, 6-2 win over Daniel Merida — breaking twice in the opening set and securing the decisive break in the fourth game of the second. The match lasted an hour and 12 minutes.
“I think I’ve gotten better and better each match. Coming into the tournament, I didn’t feel amazing, but things are coming along,” Tien said. The victory sets up the first all-American Masters 1000 semi-final between Shelton and Tien, and the first between any two Americans in Montreal since 1992.
Nakashima’s 150th — and His First Masters 1000 Semi
Brandon Nakashima beat 19th seed Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-3 in one hour and 17 minutes — his 150th tour-level win, arriving in the most significant match of his career. He finished with 11 aces to Darderi’s two and broke twice in the opening set before securing the decisive break in the eighth game of the second. The result lifted him to a career-high No. 25 in the live ATP rankings.
READ MORE: Shelton beats Fonseca, Merida stuns Griekspoor, Mensik advances at Montreal National Bank Open
“It was a goal of mine to do well at one of these Masters 1000 tournaments. To be able to do it for the first time here is really special,” he said. His semi-final opponent is Rafael Jodar — a first Masters 1000 semi-final for both players.
Jodar Delivers Again
Rafael Jodar beat 18th seed Arthur Fils 7-6(5), 6-3 — requiring more than his previous three contests as Fils pushed him to a tiebreak before the 19-year-old Spaniard settled into the commanding baseline tennis that has defined his week. Jodar took the tiebreak 7-5 and broke early in the second to take control.
QF Results:
Shelton def. Mensik 6-3, 6-1 (73 mins) | Tien def. Merida 6-3, 6-2 (72 mins) | Jodar def. Fils 7-6(5), 6-3 | Nakashima def. Darderi 6-2, 6-3 (77 mins)
Semi-finals (Wednesday August 12):
Jodar vs Nakashima — 6pm local (03:30 IST Thursday)
Shelton vs Tien — Evening session
Historic: Three Americans in semis — first since Agassi, Lendl, Washington in Canada, 1992 | Shelton: 4 matches, 0 sets dropped | Nakashima: 150th tour win, career-high No. 25 | First Masters 1000 SF for both Jodar and Nakashima
