By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, August 29, 2025
Photo credit: Sarah Stier/Getty
NEW YORK—Burying his head in his towel, a banged-up Ben Shelton wiped away tears.
The sixth-seeded Shelton arrived in New York with high hopes and departed in emotional anguish today.
An apparent strained left shoulder forced Shelton to retire from his US Open third-round match against French veteran Adrian Mannarino after dropping the fourth set on Louis Armstrong Stadium.
It’s a cruel end for an American contender at his favorite tournament.
The left-handed Mannarino, who gave world No. 1 Jannik Sinner a tough test in Cincinnati this month, moves on to the fourth round with a 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, retired victory to advance to his first US Open fourth round.
In his 15th Flushing Meadows appearance, the 37-year-old Mannarino is the second-oldest man to reach a maiden US Open fourth round after Ivo Karlovic who was 37 years old six months when he reached the round of 16 back in 2016.
Walking back onto court after his bathroom break, Mannarino was greeted by Shelton, who shook his hand and closed the curtain on his US Open.
“I’m trying, I’m 37 years old and it’s my first time winning a match from the toilet so that’s how new things come up,” Mannarino said. “I’m still enjoying my time on court and I hope I can extend it for a little while.”
Mannarino will face Jiri Lehecka for a quarterfinal spot. The 20th-seeded Lehecka beat Raphael Collingnon, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Grandstand.
It’s a devastating end for Toronto champion Shelton, who along with Taylor Fritz gave the United States two Top 8 seeds at the US Open for the first time since 2007 when No. 5 Andy Roddick and No. 6 James Blake led the American charge.
The 2023 US Open semifinalist Shelton began suffering the shoulder pain earlier in this match. Shelton battled valiantly fighting off five set points at the end of the fourth set as Louis Armstrong Stadium fans roared in approval.
Shortening points by attacking net relentlessly, Shelton came up with several set point saves.
Shelton saved the fifth set point with a slap shot forehand winner, but was bending over and wincing clutching his shoulder.
On the sixth set point, Shelton tried approaching behind a bluff chip, but Mannarino fired a backhand pass that ricocheted off the American’s blue Yonex racquet to snatch the fourth set and force a decider after a little more than three hours of play.
The 37-year-old Mannarino left the court for a bathroom break, while a pained Shelton again consulted the trainer. Father and coach Bryan Shelton, watching his son struggle in pain from the coaching box, made a “no more” gesture with his hands.
Ben Shelton packed up his racquets and when Mannarino returned he arose and shook his hand.
Pulling the US Open towel over his head, a disconsolate Shelton trudged off the court looking like a man whose dream was shattered right before his eyes.
“When he started to have pain, he was leading the match,” Mannarino said. “Honestly, he probably would have won the match; unfortunate for him, lucky for me.
“I don’t really know what to say right now. I wish him the best of course. I was having good fun on the court. There was really long rallies. I was losing some of them, winning some of them, but I think that was a cool match to play.”
It was Mannarino’s third win in four meetings vs. Shelton. Mannarino edged Shelton, 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-7(2), 6-3, 6-4 in an epic 2024 Australian Open third-round triumph.
The French veteran, whose beard has turned almost completely grey, knew he was facing a different version of the 22-year-old Shelton today. Shelton had won 11 of his last 12 matches, including a 6-2, 6-3 win over Mannarino in Canada en route to his maiden ATP Masters 1000 championship in Toronto.
“Ben is playing really well. He kicked my ass in the beginning of the summer,” Mannarino said. “It was a great match even if I was losing it was a pretty cool match.”
