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Ben Shelton (left) and Taylor Fritz (right) are the two highest ranked American men
US Open 2025
Venue: Flushing Meadows, New York Dates: 24 August-7 September
Coverage: Live radio commentaries across 5 Live Sport and BBC Sounds, plus live text commentaries on the BBC Sport website & app
Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz have advanced to the US Open second round, each aiming to end the 22-year Grand Slam singles title drought for American men.
Andy Roddick remains the last American male player to secure a major singles title, achieved at the 2003 US Open.
Fritz came closest to ending the wait, reaching the final at Flushing Meadows last year, marking the first time in 15 years that an American man had reached a major final.
Fritz, seeded fourth in New York, defeated fellow American Emilio Nava with a score of 7-5, 6-2, 6-3. Sixth seed Shelton overcame Grand Slam debutant Ignacio Buse 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
This marks the first US Open since 2007 where two American men have been seeded within the top eight.
“American tennis is in a great place,” Fritz stated.
“The women have been leading the way for a while, but the men are on the rise.”
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Ben Shelton has won three ATP Tour titles
Shelton was the first competitor in this year’s tournament to play on the prominent Arthur Ashe Stadium court, securing his victory in just over two hours.
The former semi-finalist is demonstrating strong form, having recently won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open.
“The US Open is the pinnacle of tennis for me and a childhood dream,” Shelton commented.
“It’s starting to feel like home.”
Shelton defeated Fritz in the Toronto semi-finals en route to his title, and the two could potentially meet again in the final four in New York.
However, Shelton, 22, expressed caution when asked about his prospects for a deep run in this year’s tournament.
“If you start looking too far ahead, you risk stumbling, so I’m focusing on one day at a time,” he said.
“We are here for the long haul, and I am looking forward to it.”
Fritz, who was defeated by world number one Jannik Sinner in last year’s final, has also shown strong performance in recent months.
He reached the Wimbledon semi-finals and secured grass-court titles at Eastbourne and Stuttgart, suggesting he is in form to make a significant impact at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Jakub Mensik has reached a career-high rank of 16
Teenage player Jakub Mensik secured a 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-4 victory over Nicolas Jarry of Chile as play commenced on Sunday.
Mensik won his first ATP Tour title in March, defeating Novak Djokovic in the Miami Open final, and has twice reached the third round in New York.
He will next face qualifier Ugo Blanchet, after the Frenchman defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 6-2.
Elsewhere, 18th seed Alejandro Davidovich Fokina needed just 89 minutes to defeat Alexander Shevchenko 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.
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