Ben Shelton recovered from a disastrous opening set to defeat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2 in the first round of the US Open on Monday night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, saving his tournament after losing six consecutive games at the start of the match.
Shelton, the highest-seeded American man in the draw at No. 8, was broken three times in a first set that lasted 28 minutes. He won just one game, tied for the fewest in a major opening set of his career. He acknowledged being nervous at the start and said he found his rhythm at some point in the second set, adding that Arthur Ashe is where he feels comfortable.
He was a perfect 13-for-13 in service games from the second set onward. Griekspoor fell to 0-8 in Grand Slam matches against top-10 opponents. He will face Hubert Hurkacz in the second round in what will be their first career meeting.
Americans advance
Brandon Nakashima, the No. 16 seed, continued one of the stronger seasons any American has had on hard courts in recent memory, defeating Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 for his ATP Tour-leading 23rd hard-court victory of the year. It was Nakashima’s 43rd career Grand Slam match, and the three games he dropped against Baez were the fewest he has dropped in any of them.
Learner Tien, the No. 14 seed, beat Nuno Borges 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the second round.
The American men at this US Open
The presence of Shelton, Nakashima and Tien all through to the second round reflects the improved depth in American men’s tennis that has been building for several years. Shelton is the established name, a player who has been a top-10 presence at this tournament before and who knows how to win on this stage. Nakashima’s statistical profile this season, 23 hard-court wins and the dominant scoreline against Baez, suggests he is playing the best tennis of his career. Tien is younger and still developing.
All three advancing gives the American contingent in the men’s draw a foundation that did not exist in recent US Opens, where the men’s results were regularly disappointing relative to the talent in the field.
Shelton’s path
The second-round match against Hurkacz is a meaningful step up in opposition. Hurkacz is a former Wimbledon semifinalist who has experience winning on hard courts at the highest level. The fact that they have not met previously makes the match harder to predict, though Shelton’s serve and athleticism have made him a difficult opponent for any style of player when he is serving well.
The 1-6 first set will likely be forgotten quickly if he plays the way he did from the second set forward.
