Ben Shelton continued his hunt for a second successive Canadian Open title with a resounding straight-sets win over Zizou Bergs in the third round on Friday.

Shelton, who is the highest seed remaining in the men's draw following surprise exits for Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur and Daniil Medvedev as well as the withdrawals of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime, won 6-3 6-2.

The 2025 champion only needed 66 minutes to get the job done on a day when he fired in eight aces without any double faults, not giving Bergs any opportunities to break.

A single break in game six was enough to hand Shelton the first set, and the second began with four straight games won to love by the server.

But Shelton then produced back-to-back breaks to pull clear, and he will face the winner of Casper Ruud's headline clash with Joao Fonseca in the next round.

The American said afterwards: "It was a good day. I thought I managed the match really well, especially with the way he came out serving. 

"I had to make some adjustments to get into the return games and find ways to break, but down the stretch, I thought I played great tennis and kept my foot on the gas when I got the lead. I am super happy."

Earlier on Friday, Tallon Griekspoor followed up his elimination of top seed Zverev by overcoming Matteo Arnaldi 3-6 6-4 6-3. Daniel Merida will be his fourth-round opponent, having beaten Alex Michelsen 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-1.

The crown stays on @BenShelton makes it  on the bounce in Canada, defeating Bergs 6-3, 6-2!@OBNmontreal | #NBO26 pic.twitter.com/un2zK4MOJR

— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 7, 2026

Shelton rolls on as other seeds struggle

The last man to win back-to-back Canadian Open titles was the legendary Rafael Nadal in 2018 and 2019, and only three players have accomplished that feat this century, with Novak Djokovic (2011 and 2012) and Andy Murray (2009 and 2010) also doing so.

But with the other top seeds dropping like flies, Shelton must believe he can join that exclusive club this year.

This victory was his eighth in a row at the Canadian Open, making him the first American to enjoy such a lengthy run at the event since Andy Roddick in 2004.

The Canadian Open is also the first ATP Masters 1000 event at which Shelton has posted 10 career victories, while his 29 wins overall this year are the most by any left-hander on the tour.