Ben Shelton’s US Open campaign ended in tears on Friday, after he withdrew mid-match with a shoulder injury he called the “worst pain” of his life, while milestone man Novak Djokovic battled through his own physical struggles to reach the fourth round.
Canadian Open champion Shelton was locked in an entertaining contest with Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the day’s opening match on Louis Armstrong Stadium when his tournament suddenly unraveled.
“I just did something to my shoulder, I don’t know what it is. I’m in a lot of pain,” the American sixth seed told his father and coach Bryan during a medical timeout.
Photo: AP
As left-hander Mannarino fought back to level the match at two sets all, a devastated Shelton wiped away tears before withdrawing ahead of the decider, leaving fans gasping.
Shelton’s compatriot, 17th seed Frances Tiafoe, lost 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) to big-serving German Jan-Lennard Struff at the Grandstand, while 10th seed Emma Navarro went down 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 to unseeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova in another upset.
DJOKOVIC
As the younger generation nursed their wounds, 38-year-old Djokovic was making history under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The Serb recovered from a lower back problem to knock out Cameron Norrie 6-4, 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-3, eliminating the last remaining Briton in the men’s draw and becoming the oldest man to reach the last 16 at Flushing Meadows since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
The four-time US Open winner also surpassed Roger Federer to become the man with the most hardcourt victories at the majors with his 192nd win, inching closer to a record 25th Grand Slam title.
“I’m good, man. I’m as young as ever and strong as ever,” Djokovic said after his battling victory.
Earlier in the day, 2021 champion Emma Raducanu fell 6-1, 6-2 to Elena Rybakina at the same Louis Armstrong Stadium that witnessed Shelton’s anguish, as British hopes in the women’s draw ended with clinical efficiency from the Kazakh.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz weathered his own injury scare, overcoming knee concerns to dismantle Italian Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0.
“It was just the game that he broke my serve, on the last point after the serve ... I just felt something in the knee,” said Alcaraz, who took a precautionary medical timeout, but allayed concerns with a devastating display.
“It was bothering me, but after five-six points it was gone. I was worried after that. That’s why I asked for the physio. It was nothing serious, so just for precaution,” he said.
SABALENKA
Defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka knocked out Leylah Fernandez 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) to erase the sting of her 2021 US Open semi-final upset at the hands of the Canadian.
“I really wanted this revenge,” three-times Grand Slam champion Sabalenka said. “I’m very happy with the win.”
Elsewhere in the women’s draw, fourth seed Jessica Pegula progressed with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and was joined in the fourth round by former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova, who beat Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 7-6 (7/4), 6-1.
The last 16 would also feature unseeded American Taylor Townsend, who advanced with a 7-5, 6-2 victory over fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in another massive upset.
Shelton, despite his heartbreak, refused to wallow in self-pity when he faced the media.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate with my life: Blessings, talents, a lot of things God’s given me,” he said. “You won’t hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with the summer that I’ve had, the things I’ve been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time, and the people I got around me.”
Fourth seed Taylor Fritz lifted some of the gloom with a gritty 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (9/11), 6-4, 6-4 victory over Switzerland’s Jerome Kym in the last match at Ashe, becoming the only remaining American man in the last 16.
He might be joined in the next round by 14th-seed Tommy Paul, who was to play Alexander Bublik after press time last night.
ANFIELD BLUES: Kylian Mbappe arrived at Anfield on a run of 21 goals in 17 games, but he managed just three attempts in the match, none of them hitting the target Kylian Mbappe has been nearly unstoppable this season, but he hit a roadblock in their UEFA Champions League match at Anfield on Tuesday. For the second year running, the Real Madrid forward had a night to forget at Merseyside as Liverpool won 1-0. Mbappe looked a shadow of the player who has been tearing defenses apart all season. “We were lacking that threat in the final third,” said Madrid coach Xabi Alonso, without naming Mbappe individually. The FIFA World Cup winner for France rarely looked capable of finding a breakthrough against a Liverpool team who have been so defensively fragile for much of the
LOCAL SUCCESS: In the doubles, Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Italians Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in straight sets Elena Rybakina on Monday punched her ticket to the WTA Finals last four with an impressive 3-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over second seed Iga Swiatek in round-robin play in Riyadh. After cruising past Amanda Anisimova in her opener on Saturday, Rybakina claimed her second win of the week to guarantee herself top spot in the Serena Williams Group. Anisimova on Monday rallied back from a set and a break down to triumph 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in her all-American battle with seventh seed Madison Keys, who has been eliminated from the competition. “Madi was playing so well, it was quite a battle out there,”
Erling Haaland on Sunday scored twice to propel Manchester City up to second in the English Premier League with a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth. The Cherries started the day in second thanks to the longest unbeaten run in the English top flight, but Andoni Iraola’s side were undone by the scintillating form of the Norwegian striker, who took his tally to 13 Premier League goals in 10 games. Haaland’s relentless streak is maintaining City’s title challenge as they reduced the gap to leaders Arsenal back to six points and edged one point ahead of Liverpool, who they face at the weekend. “Important
For almost 30 minutes, Vitomir Maricic did not take a breath. Face down in a pool, surrounded by anxious onlookers, the Croatian freediver fought spasming pain to redefine what doctors thought was possible. When he finally surfaced, he had smashed the previous Guinness World Record for the longest breath-hold underwater by nearly five minutes. However, even with the help of pure oxygen before the attempt, it had pushed him to the limit. “Everything was difficult, just overwhelming,” Maricic, 40, told reporters, reflecting on the record-breaking day on June 14. “When I dive, I completely disconnect from everything, as if I’m not even there.
RSS