Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima Reach Montreal Final
Listen to the story
American tennis players Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima have both reached the final of the Montreal 2026 tournament.
The event is officially called the National Bank Open, also known as the Canadian Open.
Both players won their hard-court matches this week to move forward in the tournament.
A hard court is a firm, flat playing surface commonly used in professional tennis.
Reaching the final means both Shelton and Nakashima played very well throughout the event.
The final is the last match of the tournament, where the two best players compete.
The winner of the final will be named the champion of the Montreal 2026 tournament.
This is a strong result for American tennis, since two of its players reached the same final.
The National Bank Open is an important stop on the professional tennis calendar.
It attracts many top players from around the world every year.
Fans and experts are now watching closely to see who will lift the trophy.
The prediction for the match has drawn attention from tennis analysts.
Analysts often study a player's recent form before big matches.
Both Shelton and Nakashima will hope their good form continues into the final.
This result also shows the growing strength of young American players on the professional tour.
Vocabulary10 words
- National Bank Open
- the official name of this tennis tournament
- Canadian Open
- another common name for the same tournament
- hard-court
- a hard, flat surface used for playing tennis
- champion
- the winner of a competition
- prediction
- a guess about what will happen
- analyst
- a person who studies something closely, like sports results
- form
- how well a player has been playing recently
- tour
- a series of sports events during a season
- trophy
- a prize given to the winner
- professional
- done as a paid job, at a high level
Quiz
Answer key
1. The Canadian Open 2. They both won their hard-court matches 3. Young American players are showing strength
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
American tennis players Ben Shelton and Brandon Nakashima have both reached the _____ of the Montreal 2026 tournament.
The event is officially called the National Bank Open, also known as the _____ Open.
Both players won their hard-court _____ this week to move forward in the tournament.
A hard court is a firm, flat playing _____ commonly used in professional tennis.
Reaching the final means both Shelton and Nakashima played very _____ throughout the event.
The winner of the final will be named the _____ of the Montreal 2026 tournament.
This is a strong _____ for American tennis, since two of its players reached the same final.
Fans and experts are now watching closely to see who will lift the _____.
The _____ for the match has drawn attention from tennis analysts.
This result also shows the growing strength of young American players on the professional _____.