Shelton Shrugs Off Shaky Start to Advance at U.S. Open

Eighth seed Ben Shelton rebounded from a 6-1 first-set loss to beat Tallon Griekspoor in four sets and reach the U.S. Open second round.

Eighth seed Ben Shelton beat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in the first round of the U.S. Open on Monday night, in a match lasting two hours and 35 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Shelton dropped the opening set 6-1, losing his serve three times including the very first game, before dominating the next three sets to advance. He now faces Poland's Hubert Hurkacz in the second round, according to Reuters reporting via KFGO.

The opener was ugly: Reuters reports Shelton committed 14 unforced errors, including two double faults, and held serve just once as Griekspoor raced through the first set in under half an hour. Griekspoor returned Shelton's serve deep, pushing the American behind the baseline and forcing errors. Gators Wire notes Shelton admitted he started nervous but found his rhythm during the second set, where he broke three times while Griekspoor committed eight unforced errors in that set alone.

The third set was the tightest, with both players holding serve to force a tiebreak. Shelton took it 7-3 behind an ace, a Griekspoor unforced error, and a costly double fault. Reuters details that Griekspoor's sixth double fault of the match handed Shelton the decisive advantage, after which the American stormed to a 4-0 lead in the fourth set before closing out the win.

Reuters reports the 23-year-old is looking to become the first American man to win the U.S. Open title since 2003, and is still hunting a first Grand Slam title. He arrived in New York with momentum after successfully defending his Canadian Open title earlier this month, despite a disappointing Grand Slam run this year, per the same report. Griekspoor, meanwhile, had entered off his upset of top seed Alexander Zverev in Montreal. "Obviously a lot of credit to Tallon, he's a difficult player to play," Shelton said after the match, per Gators Wire.