Eighth seed Ben Shelton overcame a nervous start and a strong challenge from Tallon Griekspoor to secure a hard-fought victory in the first round of the US Open, keeping his Grand Slam title hopes alive.
Key Points
- Eighth seed Ben Shelton defeated Tallon Griekspoor in four sets in the US Open first round.
- Shelton recovered after losing the first set 1-6, finding his rhythm in the second set.
- The American secured the crucial third set in a tiebreak, capitalising on Griekspoor's errors.
- Shelton will now face Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of the tournament.
Eighth seed Ben Shelton recovered from a shaky start to beat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 in the first round of the US Open on Monday. Shelton, who is looking to become the first American man to win the title since 2003, has endured a disappointing run in this year's Grand Slams but arrived in New York with momentum after successfully defending his Canadian Open title earlier this month.
Shelton's Challenging Start
It was far from straightforward for the 23-year-old, however, as Griekspoor looked to follow up his stunning upset of top seed Alexander Zverev in Montreal.
"I started off a little bit nervous tonight, but I found my rhythm at some point through the second set," said Shelton, who is still hunting a first Grand Slam title.
"Obviously, a lot of credit to Tallon, he's a good player to play, he doesn't give you a lot of rhythm. He has an attacking game style and I found things really difficult for the first set tonight."
The top American in the men's draw endured a woeful start under the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights, committing 14 unforced errors, including two double faults, and holding serve just once as Griekspoor raced through the opening set in less than half an hour.
Turning the Tide
The script flipped completely in the second, however, as Shelton found his range, sharpened his serve and broke three times to level the match. The third set went to a tiebreak, with Griekspoor's errors proving costly, Shelton sealing the set when the Dutchman's sixth double fault of the match handed him the advantage.
Shelton then took complete control, storming to a 4-0 lead in the fourth before closing out the win to set up a second-round clash against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz.
