Eighth seed Ben Shelton overcame a rocky start to secure a 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2 victory over Tallon Griekspoor in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday. The American, aiming to become the first man from his country to win the title since 2003, showed resilience under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
A Slow Start Under Pressure
Shelton, who arrived in New York with momentum after successfully defending his Canadian Open title earlier this month, admitted to feeling nervous in the opening set. Griekspoor, fresh from a stunning upset of top seed Alexander Zverev in Montreal, capitalized on Shelton’s early struggles.
“I started off a little bit nervous tonight, but I found my rhythm at some point through the second set,” Shelton said. “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 23-year-old committed 14 unforced errors, including two double faults, and held serve just once as Griekspoor raced through the opening set in less than half an hour.
Turning the Match Around
The second set saw a complete reversal. Shelton found his range, sharpened his serve, and broke Griekspoor three times to level the match. The third set went to a tiebreak, where Griekspoor’s errors proved costly. Shelton sealed the set when the Dutchman’s sixth double fault of the match handed him the advantage.
From there, Shelton took control, storming to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set before closing out the win. He will next face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz in the second round.
Shelton, still hunting his first Grand Slam title, has had a disappointing run in this year’s majors but showed the fighting spirit needed to advance in New York.
