There wasn’t much drama for the top-ranked American men on day one of the U.S. Open.
No. 4 Taylor Fritz and No. 6 Ben Shelton rolled to straight-set victories on Sunday afternoon in the first round at Flushing Meadows, handling their business in matches in which they were heavily favored.
Still, it was a necessary first step for Fritz and Shelton, who both seek to become the first American man to win the U.S. Open in 22 years.
Shelton cruised past Ignacio Buse of Peru 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the tournament’s first match at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Fritz, meanwhile, overcame an initial punch from another American, 101st-ranked Emilio Nava, to win 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Behind a serve he dialed up 136 mph, the 23-year-old Nava landed five aces in the hard-fought first set but only four more the rest of the way as Fritz settled in.
“It’s just the first round of the Open,” Fritz, 27 said. “Most [Grand] Slams in general, first round you come out, it’s a little nervy, and you kind of just get over the hump of the first set and then I can relax a bit and just play a bit better through the match. I’m just happy to get through that tight first set.”
Andy Roddick’s 2003 championship remains the most recent U.S. Open — or Grand Slam of any kind — to be won by an American man.
Last year, Fritz became the first American to advance to the Open final since 2006, but he lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner of Italy.
Fritz and Shelton are two of four Americans ranked within the ATP’s top 20, along with No. 14 Tommy Paul and No. 17 Frances Tiafoe.
Tiafoe is set to play Yoshihito Nishioka of Japan in the first round on Monday afternoon, while Paul is scheduled to face Elmer Moller of Denmark on Tuesday night.
“This is the biggest stage for us, and we always seem to play our best,” Shelton, 22, said after Sunday’s win.
“Frances plays the best tennis of the year here. I like to think that I do as well. Obviously, I [lost to] him in the third round last year, but still, one of my favorite matches of the year when I go back and watch it. One of the highest levels that I played all year in 2024. Obviously, Fritz was in the final, which is his best Grand Slam result.”
But for an American man to get over the hump, he will have to emerge from a field headlined by Sinner, the world’s top-ranked player, as well as Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who is No. 2.
Sinner, 24, and Alcaraz, 22, have combined to win the last seven Grand Slam tournaments and eight of the last nine. They faced each other in the final round of the previous two, with Sinner winning Wimbledon and Alcaraz claiming the French Open in comeback fashion.
Now, home court shifts to Fritz, Shelton and company, with the New York crowd starving for an American to deliver a long-awaited title on their home soil.
“It’s definitely never going to be a problem feeling really excited, pumped up, motivated on the court with the crowd getting behind you,” Fritz said “I think it also adds a layer of pressure to it as well, that I’m playing my home slam, and I obviously want to have a good result. But yeah, it’s great to have the crowd behind you.”
The players are eager to end the drought, too.
“There’s a lot of guys who are really hungry here, Americans who maybe haven’t had a run yet here,” Shelton said. “But it’s just a matter of time. All of us are pushing to do our own thing, but also, for sure, cheering on the other guys.”
Originally Published:
