America’s two highest-ranked players on the men’s Tour started their US Open bids on Sunday with straight-set victories.
Sixth seed Ben Shelton kicked off proceedings on the Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win over Peru’s Ignacio Buse. Shelton, who is playing in New York as a top-10 player for the first time in his career, saved all five break points he faced in the match and hit 35 winners against 32 unforced errors. The world No.6 is now 12-3 in Grand Slam matches this year and his losses have been to players who went on to win the title.
However, it is New York that is the ultimate event for Shelton when it comes to the majors. Just two years ago, he became the youngest men’s semi-finalist at this event since Chang in 1992.
“It’s starting to feel like home for me. This is the best court in tennis,” Shelton said after beating Buse. “It’s my favourite place to play: favourite court, favourite tournament. So opening day, first match, there are always a little bit of nerves, but I’m really happy I came out here and you guys got to see me do my thing. I’m really appreciative of everyone who came out.”
Shelton enters the tournament with extra belief after recently winning his maiden Masters 1000 title in Canada, where he beat five seeded players in a row. More recently, in Cincinnati, he reached the quarter-finals before losing to Alexander Zverev.
“We take it one step at a time. I’m trying to get better every day,” Shelton explains. “I think that as soon as you start looking ahead of yourself, you stumble over your own feet. So for me, it’s one match at a time, one day at a time and I’m just grateful to be out here.
“I’m happy to come back here every year. This is the one for sure. This is the pinnacle of tennis for me, what I dreamed about when I was a kid.”
Joining the 22-year-old in the last 64 will be last year’s runner-up, Taylor Fritz, who beat compatriot Emilio Nava 7-5, 6-2. 6-3. Fritz is the first American top-four seed in the men’s draw at Flushing Meadows since Andy Roddick in 2005. Since the start of June, he has won 21 out of 26 Tour-level matches played.
“I think I really just settled into the match a bit more. I had a game where I had some good chances in the first set and I just missed a couple of returns, just didn’t play as well as I could have in that moment,” Fritz said. “Against someone like Emilio with such a big serve, that might be the only chance I get.
“I was lucky to get another chance to break at the end of the first set and I think once I found that break, the return started working for me a bit more, loosened up and I did a good job holding my serve the whole match.”
Fritz is one of four players in the men’s draw who have also previously won the US Open boys’ title. He will be hoping to improve on his previous Grand Slam result at Wimbledon, where he reached the semi-finals before losing to Carlos Alcaraz.
In other matches, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina stormed past Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, to set up a clash with France’s Arthur Rinderknech. Meanwhile, Miami Open champion Jakub Mensik beat Nicolas Jarry 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-4.
Note – quotes via atptour.com
