NEW YORK:
Eighth seed Ben Shelton recovered from a shaky begin to beat Tallon Griekspoor 1-6 6-1 7-6(3) 6-2 within the first spherical of the U.S. Open on Monday.
Shelton, who’s seeking to develop into the primary American man to win the title since 2003, has endured a disappointing run on this yr’s Grand Slams however arrived in New York with momentum after efficiently defending his Canadian Open title earlier this month.
It was removed from simple for the 23-year-old, nevertheless, as Griekspoor seemed to observe up his gorgeous upset of high seed Alexander Zverev in Montreal.
“I began off a little bit bit nervous tonight, however I discovered my rhythm in some unspecified time in the future by way of the second set,” stated Shelton, who continues to be searching a primary Grand Slam title.
“Clearly, lots of credit score to Tallon, he is an excellent participant to play, he doesn’t provide you with lots of rhythm. He has an attacking sport fashion and I discovered issues actually tough for the primary set tonight.”
The highest American within the males’s draw endured a woeful begin below the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights, committing 14 unforced errors, together with two double faults, and holding serve simply as soon as as Griekspoor raced by way of the opening set in lower than half an hour.
The script flipped utterly within the second, nevertheless, as Shelton discovered his vary, sharpened his serve and broke thrice to stage the match.
The third set went to a tiebreak, with Griekspoor’s errors proving pricey, Shelton sealing the set when the Dutchman’s sixth double fault of the match handed him the benefit.
Shelton then took full management, storming to a 4-0 lead within the fourth earlier than closing out the win to arrange a second-round conflict towards Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz.