We’re Going Five

Ben Shelton wins the ATP Toronto Masters after THREE final-set tiebreaks 🏆 Karen Khachanov surges back into the Top 10, Victoria Mboko shocks Montreal with a historic WTA 1000 run, Novak Djokovic skips Cincinnati + Will anyone outside Sinner & Alcaraz win the ATP Cincinnati Masters? Dive in!

🎾 Inside Episode 34

Ben Shelton, Toronto Masters King

• First Masters 1000 title; completes the ATP 1000/500/250 set
• New career-high World Number 6 & overtakes Novak Djokovic
• Ice in his veins run: 3 of 6 matches decided in final set tiebreaks against Brandon Nakashima, Flavio Cobolli, Karen Khachanov)
• Two Top-10 wins on his path to the title against Alex de Minaur & Taylor Fritz
• Youngest ATP Masters champ since Andy Roddick

Karen Khachanov’s Big-Match Return

• First Masters final since Paris-Bercy 2018
• Back into the Top 10 rankings
• How clutch was he? Knocked out Ruud, Michelsen, then edged Zverev in a final-set TB
• Pushed Shelton to another final-set breaker in the championship match

Victoria Mboko’s Historic Montreal Title

• First career WTA trophy and it’s a WTA 1000!
• Beats four Grand Slam champions in one tournament: Sofia Kenin → Coco Gauff → Elena Rybakina → Naomi Osaka
• Second-youngest to do it since Serena Williams in 1999
• Skyrockets in the WTA Rankings from No. 337 in January to No. 25 by August (300+ spots in 8 months)

Spicy / No Spicy

• Was Osaka’s lack of a public congrats to Mboko on stage… a bad look or a nothing-burger?

Cool Dude Moments

• Why did the Toronto crowd erupts during Shelton–Khachanov final?
• Why did Shelton give Khachanov a first serve—twice? 

Buying or Selling?

• Two-week Masters events: growth engine or momentum killer?

Other Headlines

• Novak Djokovic will skip Cincinnati—enters the US Open with no match play since Wimbledon
• Grigor Dimitrov’s 58-Slam streak ends (from 2011 through Wimbledon 2025)

Overreaction or Not?

• Khachanov makes the ATP Finals
• Shelton overtakes Fritz as US No. 1
• Shelton is America’s best Slam chance
• Mboko is already a US Open fav