Aug 3, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Ben Shelton (USA, left) gestures as he speaks with Flavio Cobolli (ITA) who he defeated during fourth round play at Sobeys Stadium.

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WATCH – Ben Shelton, Flavio Cobolli Engage in Heated Exchange After Tense National Bank Open 2025 Round of 16 Clash

Shelton advanced to the Toronto QFs in three sets.

Aug 3, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Ben Shelton (USA, left) gestures as he speaks with Flavio Cobolli (ITA) who he defeated during fourth round play at Sobeys Stadium.

World No. 7 Ben Shelton and Italian young gun Flavio Cobolli were involved in a tense verbal exchange in the aftermath of their thrilling match at the 2025 National Bank Open on Sunday. The American needed three tight sets to prevail 6-4 4-6 7-6(1) against Cobolli and move into the quarterfinal stage. In the process, Shelton acquired a landmark 100th tour-level victory in Toronto.

It was a high intensity match, as Shelton took an early advantage in the opener. The 22-year-old rallied to a 4-1 lead, courtesy some brilliant serving and a couple of unexpected errors from his Italian counterpart. While Cobolli did manage to break back and nearly restore parity, Shelton broke again to grab the first set. An early break of serve was enough for Cobolli to edge out the second set, and he also served for the match at 5-4 in the third. However, Shelton had other ideas.

Over the past few weeks, Ben Shelton has slowly but surely risen up the rankings. Currently playing some of the best tennis we have seen from him, the southpaw is a strong contender at the US Open. After breaking back to level proceedings at 5-5, he eventually eased through the deciding tiebreak to complete an exhausting win. “Coming through in the end I think speaks a lot about my mental toughness, and my ability to be scrappy in those moments. More so than my actual play,” said Shelton after the win.

Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli Seen in Verbal Post-Match Confrontation

Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli had an exchange after the match in Toronto

👀pic.twitter.com/uSSKhjXtIM
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 4, 2025

After Shelton’s success, the duo was seen engaging in a not-so-pleasant verbal exchange at the net. While the words being spoken weren’t clearly audible, the American was evidently upset about a gesture that was made by Cobolli during the final set tiebreaker. The words continued well after the completion of the encounter, with Shelton letting Cobolli know that he considers them to be friends and wanted to raise the concern with him.

Ben Shelton and Flavio Cobolli continued their tense exchange well after the match ended 👀#NBO25 | @NBOtoronto pic.twitter.com/NlgVBm3OQ4
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 4, 2025

“He just made a gesture in the tiebreaker and I asked him about it,” remarked the American after the match. “He said it wasn’t towards me, so we’re cool.” The players also apparently spoke in the locker room after the eventful evening, as Shelton reconfirmed in his press conference. “We talked about it in the locker room, so I’m not going to answer any more questions about that… There’s no story, we’re good!”

Ben Shelton is set to face Australian mainstay Alex de Minaur in the Toronto quarterfinals on Tuesday.

(Image Credits: Dan Hamilton, Imagn Images)

Alex de Minaur

ATP

Ben Shelton

Flavio Cobolli

National Bank Open

Tennis

US Open

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.