It was a punishing Friday afternoon for American men’s tennis as Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe were bundled out of the US Open less than an hour apart, leaving only Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul still standing in the singles draw.
Shelton, the No 6 seed and one of the leading contenders to end the United States’ 22-year wait for a men’s grand slam champion, was forced to retire from his third-round match against France’s Adrian Mannarino with a shoulder injury. It was the 22-year-old’s first career retirement, coming as he led by two sets to one before disaster struck late in the third.
