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Brandon Nakashima of the United States hits a return to Rafael Jodar of Spain during semifinal tennis action at the National Bank Open in Montreal on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP
It’s an All-American affair in the Canadian Masters Final.
Ben Shelton will take on Brandon Nakashima on Thursday night in Montreal, as both players search for a massive win in the grand scheme of their careers.
Shelton is the defending champion at this event (although the men’s tournament was held in Toronto last year), while Nakashima is searching for his first ATP trophy since 2022, when he won his maiden title in San Diego.
Shelton is the higher-ranked player and is 5-0 in the head-to-head, so it’s no shock that he’s a decided -245 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook.
Canadian Masters Final: Shelton vs. Nakashima odds, prediction
Both Shelton and Nakashima fully earned their spot in this final.
The former has yet to drop a set, dispatching Jenson Brooksby, Zizou Bergs, Joao Fonseca, Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien to book his place in Thursday’s showpiece.
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic skipped this tournament, so that’s about as brutal a path as you can cook up in this situation. Shelton aced it.
Not to be outdone, Nakashima is coming off one of the most impressive wins of his career, swatting aside rising superstar Rafael Jodar in straight sets in the semifinal.
Nakashima wasn’t as dominant on the scoreboard as Shelton through his five victories, but he’s shown the ability to dig in and outlast some top-30 opponents like Luciano Darderi and Arthur Rinderknech.
Nakashima’s versatility during this run is what leads me to believe he’s got a real shot at this thing.
Ben Shelton celebrates at ATP Montreal. Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via APWhile Shelton has had everything his way so far, Nakashima has had to reach deeper into his locker to find victories. In a battle between two massive servers, that could prove vital.
And as discouraging as that 0-5 ledger against Shelton may look, most of their encounters were very tight.
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Shelton and Nakashima have played a total of 12 sets. Seven of them have gone to tiebreakers and three more finished 7-5 in Shelton’s favor.
I think this match is going to play out a lot closer than the odds imply.
The Play: Nakashima moneyline (+198, FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
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