diff --git a/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvfrag.c b/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvfrag.c
index 66482b4bc62..497c74cced1 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvfrag.c
+++ b/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvfrag.c
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ void mca_pml_ob1_recv_frag_callback_match(mca_btl_base_module_t* btl,
                        );
         }
 
-        /* no need to check if complete we know we are.. */
+        /* no need to check if complete we know we are. */
         /*  don't need a rmb as that is for checking */
         recv_request_pml_complete(match);
     }
diff --git a/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.c b/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.c
index 70969415c49..1f594cacc10 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.c
+++ b/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.c
@@ -255,6 +255,7 @@ int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send_btl(
 
 static int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack(
     mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_t* recvreq,
+    mca_btl_base_module_t* btl,
     mca_pml_ob1_rendezvous_hdr_t* hdr,
     size_t bytes_received)
 {
@@ -315,12 +316,12 @@ static int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack(
 
     /* let know to shedule function there is no need to put ACK flag. If not all message went over
      * RDMA then we cancel the GET protocol in order to switch back to send/recv. In this case send
-     * back the remote send request, the peer kept a poointer to the frag locally. In the future we
+     * back the remote send request, the peer kept a pointer to the frag locally. In the future we
      * might want to cancel the fragment itself, in which case we will have to send back the remote
      * fragment instead of the remote request.
      */
     recvreq->req_ack_sent = true;
-    return mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(proc, hdr->hdr_src_req.lval,
+    return mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(btl, proc, hdr->hdr_src_req.lval,
                                              recvreq, recvreq->req_send_offset, 0,
                                              recvreq->req_send_offset == bytes_received);
 }
@@ -356,7 +357,7 @@ static int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_get_frag_failed (mca_pml_ob1_rdma_frag_t *fr
     }
 
     /* tell peer to fall back on send for this region */
-    rc = mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(proc, frag->rdma_hdr.hdr_rget.hdr_rndv.hdr_src_req.lval,
+    rc = mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(NULL, proc, frag->rdma_hdr.hdr_rget.hdr_rndv.hdr_src_req.lval,
                                            recvreq, frag->rdma_offset, frag->rdma_length, false);
     MCA_PML_OB1_RDMA_FRAG_RETURN(frag);
     return rc;
@@ -672,7 +673,7 @@ void mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_progress_rget( mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_t* recvreq
         if (mca_pml_ob1_cuda_need_buffers(recvreq, btl))
 #endif /* OPAL_CUDA_SUPPORT */
         {
-            mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack(recvreq, &hdr->hdr_rndv, 0);
+            mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack(recvreq, btl, &hdr->hdr_rndv, 0);
             return;
         }
     }
@@ -815,7 +816,7 @@ void mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_progress_rndv( mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_t* recvreq
     recvreq->remote_req_send = hdr->hdr_rndv.hdr_src_req;
     recvreq->req_rdma_offset = bytes_received;
     MCA_PML_OB1_RECV_REQUEST_MATCHED(recvreq, &hdr->hdr_match);
-    mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack(recvreq, &hdr->hdr_rndv, bytes_received);
+    mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack(recvreq, btl, &hdr->hdr_rndv, bytes_received);
     /**
      * The PUT protocol do not attach any data to the original request.
      * Therefore, we might want to avoid unpacking if there is nothing to
diff --git a/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.h b/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.h
index 0ced47e2915..64fafad250a 100644
--- a/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.h
+++ b/ompi/mca/pml/ob1/pml_ob1_recvreq.h
@@ -428,9 +428,11 @@ int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send_btl(ompi_proc_t* proc,
         mca_bml_base_btl_t* bml_btl, uint64_t hdr_src_req, void *hdr_dst_req,
         uint64_t hdr_rdma_offset, uint64_t size, bool nordma);
 
-static inline int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(ompi_proc_t* proc,
-        uint64_t hdr_src_req, void *hdr_dst_req, uint64_t hdr_send_offset,
-        uint64_t size, bool nordma)
+static inline int
+mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(mca_btl_base_module_t* btl,
+                                  ompi_proc_t* proc,
+                                  uint64_t hdr_src_req, void *hdr_dst_req, uint64_t hdr_send_offset,
+                                  uint64_t size, bool nordma)
 {
     size_t i;
     mca_bml_base_btl_t* bml_btl;
@@ -438,11 +440,18 @@ static inline int mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send(ompi_proc_t* proc,
 
     assert (NULL != endpoint);
 
+    /**
+     * If a btl has been requested then send the ack using that specific device, otherwise
+     * we are free to pick one. We need to force the ack to go over a specific BTL, in order
+     * to prevent the establishement of new connections during the matching handshake.
+     */
     for(i = 0; i < mca_bml_base_btl_array_get_size(&endpoint->btl_eager); i++) {
         bml_btl = mca_bml_base_btl_array_get_next(&endpoint->btl_eager);
-        if(mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send_btl(proc, bml_btl, hdr_src_req,
-                    hdr_dst_req, hdr_send_offset, size, nordma) == OMPI_SUCCESS)
-            return OMPI_SUCCESS;
+        if( (NULL == btl) || (btl == bml_btl->btl) ) {
+            if(mca_pml_ob1_recv_request_ack_send_btl(proc, bml_btl, hdr_src_req,
+                                                     hdr_dst_req, hdr_send_offset, size, nordma) == OMPI_SUCCESS)
+                return OMPI_SUCCESS;
+        }
     }
 
     MCA_PML_OB1_ADD_ACK_TO_PENDING(proc, hdr_src_req, hdr_dst_req,