Rising American star Ben Shelton succumbed to a disappointing exit at the U.S. Open on Friday in New York, not by defeat but by retirement due to a left shoulder injury.
The sixth-seeded Shelton, who serves left-handed, dropped out after playing four sets against unseeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino. Shelton and Mannarino had traded those sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6, respectively.
Shelton left the court with a towel over his head, ending a promising run at Flushing Meadows in heartbreak. But he attempted to remain upbeat at his press conference after the match.
“You won’t hear me pouting about how bad things are,” Shelton said. “The summer that I have and what I’ve been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time.”
His stellar 2025 campaign included a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, a fourth-round match at the French and a quarterfinal bid at Wimbledon — all career bests. He also won the Canadian Open in Toronto, his first career ATP 1000 title.
This marked the first time he has retired in his 178 career matches.
“A small setback like this, it hurts, yeah,” the 2023 U.S. Open semifinalist said. “Yeah, I was playing really well. I was in form, (had) a lot of confidence. There’s just so many things to be happy with — the way I was playing, moving on the court, competing. Like I said, it’s been a great summer.”
The injury may have come on a remarkable set point in the third set, in which Shelton dove near the back wall and perfectly placed a backhander in the far left corner of Mannarino’s court, inducing an error.
Shelton, 22, had fired 11 aces and won 61 of 80 first-service points (76.3 percent) before he retired. He saved 6 of 9 break points, while Mannarino also stood tall and saved 7 of 10.
Mannarino, 37, moved on to the fourth round and will play No. 20 seed Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic.
“When he started to have pain, he was leading in the match,” Mannarino said in his on-court interview. “Honestly, he probably would’ve won that match. That’s unfortunate for him, and lucky for me. I don’t really know what to say right now. I’m happy to be through but I wish him the best, of course.”
–Field Level Media
