Portugal’s Jaime Faria came through qualifying in Cincinnati to earn his first career Masters 1000 win in the first round against Jenson Brooksby. Turns out that was just a start.
On Sunday the No.79-ranked 23-year-old played with gusto and took the play to Montreal champion Ben Shelton, earning a 6-4 6-4 victory and his first career Top 10 win.
A moment made even more special by the fact that Faria rallied from 4-1 down in the second set to get it done.
“I was 4-1 down in this set,” Faria said on court after the win. “To make five games in a row against Ben Shelton in this center court, it’s not easy.”
Faria moves on to face Australia’s Adam Walton in the third round. He took some time to soak it all in after he sent Shelton packing.
“An emotional moment for me, and for my team, it’s like a we-made-it-moment,” he said. “To do it here in front of an amazing crowd, against the home player, at night, this amazing venue just makes it a little more special. It’s my first top 10 win, so in those moments, you gotta take it all in and just enjoy.”
“I work for these moments.”
Asked what has made the difference for him in 2026, Faria said:
“My mentality, my work ethic maybe. Just trying to focus more on the process, not worrying too much about when these moments are gonna happen. It will happen. It happens. That’s why I’m so happy, because I’m focusing on the process, not taking steps ahead of time, and in these moments, you gotta celebrate.”
Shelton may have been a little flat after a big week in Canada. He finished up on Thursday night, defeating Brandon Nakashima to complete his title defense at the National Bank Open. He played well at times but was unable to convert his opportunities. He converted only one of 12 break points and was broken three times.
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