Happy Tuesday! Ben Shelton triumphed in Toronto and Victoria Mboko in Montreal, each earning a breakthrough Masters title approaching the US Open.

In this week's newsletter:

• ⭐ Ben Shelton's Masters Breakthrough Makes him a US Open Dark Horse

• 🏠 Victoria Mboko's Hometown Triumph

• 🎾 Weekly Roundup: Record Purses & Beach Tennis

🧠 Tennis Trivia Challenge 🧠

Think you know your tennis? Take a swing at this week’s question!

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⭐ Ben Shelton's Masters Breakthrough Makes him a US Open Dark Horse ⭐

Ben Shelton walked into the press room after his Wimbledon quarterfinal loss to Jannik Sinner still stinging, but his message was clear: the next six weeks would be all about preparing for his "favorite tournament", the US Open. Shelton vowed to sharpen his physical conditioning during the North American hard-court swing, viewing it as the perfect chance to fine-tune his game for the year's final Grand Slam. It was a bold declaration that would soon prove prophetic.

That breakthrough came in Toronto, where Shelton’s resilience carried him through a grueling week to his first ATP Masters 1000 title. The fourth seed battled past Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Karen Khachanov, the latter in a thrilling three-set final, winning three matches in third-set tiebreakers to demonstrate the mental fortitude required for tennis's biggest stages.

Now, the US Open landscape looks different. Rising to a career-high No. 6 and climbing to No. 4 in the Race to Turin, Shelton has emerged as a serious contender, challenging Fritz as America’s best hope against Sinner and Alcaraz. With his game "rounding into form at just the right moment" and having lost only to Sinner and Alcaraz at this year’s Grand Slams, the Georgia native may be the one to end the United States’ 22-year men’s singles major drought.

🏠 Victoria Mboko's Hometown Triumph 🏠

Victoria Mboko has tennis in her blood, as all four Mboko siblings picked up rackets at their Burlington, Ontario home. Born in North Carolina but raised in Toronto, the 18-year-old entered 2025 ranked 350th before producing a remarkable 51-9 record. After spending much of 2024 recovering from knee injuries at Justine Henin's academy in Belgium, her meteoric rise caught the tennis world by surprise.

In front of 11,000 delirious fans at Montreal's IGA Stadium, Mboko became the hometown hero Canada had been waiting for since Bianca Andreescu's 2019 triumph. Armed with a wild card entry, she dismantled Grand Slam champions Coco Gauff, Sofia Kenin, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka en route to the title. Even a swollen wrist, bad enough to require hospital X-rays, couldn’t dull her fearless shot-making.

The final against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka was the perfect stage for Mboko's breakthrough. After dropping the first set 6-2, she rallied back for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over her childhood idol, converting eight of nine break points. The win announced Canadian tennis’s next superstar, positioning Mboko as a genuine threat for future Grand Slam contention.

🎾 Weekly Roundup: Record Purses & Beach Tennis 🎾

The US Open has raised total prize money to a record $85 million, with singles champions earning $5 million each, a 39% increase from last year’s $3.6 million. This year, the tournament expands to 15 days for the first time.

The Six Kings Slam will return to Riyadh in October, with defending champion Jannik Sinner joined by Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Alexander Zverev, and Jack Draper. They’ll compete at the ANB Arena for a $6 million grand prize.

Aryna Sabalenka has hired 10-time Grand Slam doubles champion Max Mirnyi as a consultant coach for her Cincinnati and US Open title defenses.

Richard Gasquet beat Dominic Thiem 6-4, 6-4 on sand to win the 2025 Torneo Tenis Playa, tennis’s only sand-court event, at the exhibition tournament in Luanco, Spain.

Former world No. 2 Paula Badosa has withdrawn from the US Open with a back injury that’s kept her out since Wimbledon. Jil Teichmann will take her place in the singles draw.

🎥 Reel of the Week 🎥

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