diff --git a/vertx-core/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/Http1xClientConnection.java b/vertx-core/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/Http1xClientConnection.java
index fce6fb5f218..64b5a1f1852 100644
--- a/vertx-core/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/Http1xClientConnection.java
+++ b/vertx-core/src/main/java/io/vertx/core/http/impl/Http1xClientConnection.java
@@ -1000,7 +1000,7 @@ synchronized void toWebSocket(
       WebSocketHandshakeInboundHandler handshakeInboundHandler = new WebSocketHandshakeInboundHandler(handshaker, upgrade);
       p.addBefore("handler", "handshakeCompleter", handshakeInboundHandler);
       upgrade.addListener((GenericFutureListener<io.netty.util.concurrent.Future<HttpHeaders>>) future -> {
-        if (timer > 0L) {
+        if (timer > -1L) {
           vertx.cancelTimer(timer);
         }
         if (future.isSuccess()) {
diff --git a/vertx-core/src/test/java/io/vertx/tests/http/WebSocketTest.java b/vertx-core/src/test/java/io/vertx/tests/http/WebSocketTest.java
index a67bc320588..914b1c5e96d 100644
--- a/vertx-core/src/test/java/io/vertx/tests/http/WebSocketTest.java
+++ b/vertx-core/src/test/java/io/vertx/tests/http/WebSocketTest.java
@@ -1722,7 +1722,7 @@ public List<Throwable> getReceivedExceptions() {
   }
 
   @Test
-  public void testHandshakeTimeout() throws Exception {
+  public void testHandshakeTimeoutFires() throws Exception {
     NetServer server = vertx.createNetServer()
       .connectHandler(so -> {
 
@@ -1746,6 +1746,32 @@ public void testHandshakeTimeout() throws Exception {
     }
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testHandshakeTimeoutDoesNotFire() throws Exception {
+    server = vertx.createHttpServer()
+      .webSocketHandler(ws -> {
+
+    });
+    server
+      .listen(DEFAULT_HTTP_PORT, DEFAULT_HTTP_HOST)
+      .await();
+    client = vertx.createWebSocketClient(new WebSocketClientOptions().setConnectTimeout(1000));
+    WebSocketConnectOptions options = new WebSocketConnectOptions()
+      .setPort(DEFAULT_HTTP_PORT)
+      .setHost(DEFAULT_HTTP_HOST)
+      .setURI("/")
+      .setTimeout(1000);
+    client.connect(options).onComplete(onSuccess(ws -> {
+      AtomicBoolean closed = new AtomicBoolean();
+      ws.closeHandler(v -> closed.set(true));
+      vertx.setTimer(1100, id -> {
+        assertFalse(closed.get());
+        testComplete();
+      });
+    }));
+    await();
+  }
+
   private void connectUntilWebSocketReject(WebSocketClient client, int count, Handler<AsyncResult<Void>> doneHandler) {
     vertx.runOnContext(v -> {
       client.connect(DEFAULT_HTTP_PORT, HttpTestBase.DEFAULT_HTTP_HOST, "/some/path").onComplete(ar -> {