The men’s draw at the US Open saw two home hopes crash out of the tournament in the third round, with Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe exiting the tournament.
Before entering a decisive fifth set with Adrian Mannarino, Shelton was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury which was too painful for him to continue.
He attempted to play through the discomfort, but ultimately, the 22-year-old made a decision to put a halt to the contest and left Louis Armstrong Stadium in tears.
For last year’s semifinalist, Tiafoe, his opponent, Jan-Lennard Struff, caused him all sorts of problems and won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
The 17th seed, who will now lose 700 ATP ranking points, faced the media after the shocking loss and pinpointed where it went wrong.
Frances Tiafoe reacts to exiting the US Open in the third round
In his post-match press conference, Tiafoe said: “I just think it was a court thing. I think actually Louis played much better for me. It was very, very fast today.
“Last time I played, I mean I did not have many rallies so it was kind of hard to see how fast the court was moving.
“But today he was returning so big into me for the first couple of shots. It was very, very tough. I was late on everything.
“I thought I still had some looks to be aggressive and take charge a little. I just didn’t, and it’s going to be hard to swallow how I played today and being out of the US Open this early.
“I have got to tip my hat to him. He made me feel very uncomfortable, and I did not do a good job adjusting.”
Frances Tiafoe records his worst US Open finish since 2019
The US Open has been the Grand Slam where Tiafoe has found the most success in recent years.
In 2022 and 2024, the US star reached the semifinals in the Big Apple, and in 2023, he advanced to the quarterfinals.
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Third Round |
| 2024 | Semifinals |
| 2023 | Quarterfinals |
| 2022 | Semifinals |
| 2021 | Fourth Round |
| 2020 | Fourth Round |
| 2019 | Second Round |
It was not to be for Tiafoe this season, however, who recorded his worst finish at Flushing Meadows in six years.
He was able to make it to the fourth round in both 2021 and 2020 after only going as far as the second round in 2019.
The result marks the end of a largely disappointing North American hard-court swing for Tiafoe, who has failed to reach the latter stages in Toronto, Cincinnati, or New York.
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