FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. — Both Ben Shelton and Diego Hidalgo’s run at the US Open ended over the weekend. Shelton was forced to retire after the fourth set of his match against Adrain Mannarino. Hidalgo and his partner, Arjun Kadhe, were defeated by the team of Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic in the first round of the double’s tournament.

Ben Shelton

Shelton fought valiantly against Mannarino in the third round of the open, with each player earning two sets which would force them to go into one final set to determine the winner. Shelton opened the match by winning the first set 6-3, and Mannarino responded in the second set defeating Shelton by the same score. In the third set, Shelton was able to win 6-4 and Mannarino won the fourth set in the same manner.

Before the fifth set could even begin, Shelton was forced to seek medical attention after experiencing pain in his left shoulder, which is his racquet hand that allows him to hit the high-speed serves he has become known for. The injury was likely due to a fall Shelton had taken on the court in the third set where he landed on his left arm, and while he was still able to play through set four, the pain eventually grew too severe to continue.

“Usually, I’ll play through anything and just kind of find a way,” said Shelton. “And whether it’s sickness or injury, like, if I can stay out there, I can stay out there. I never felt anything like this before.”

Despite the hard ending to one of Shelton’s favorite tournaments of the year, he still said he was grateful for everything he has accomplished throughout the year. Working to ATP No. 6, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto, Canada and only losing to the ATP No. 1 and No. 2 in the Grand Slams this year.

“I’ve got a lot to be grateful for. Been pretty fortunate with my life; blessings, talents, a lot of things God’s given me. A small setback like this, yeah, it hurts. I was playing really well, I was in form, a lot of confidence. Just so many things to be happy with the way that I was playing, moving on the court, competing,” said Shelton. “You won’t hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with the summer that I’ve had,” he continued, “the things that I’ve been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time and the people I’ve got around me. Like I said, a lot of blessings.”

Diego Hidalgo

Hidalgo’s run in the doubles tournament for the US Open was cut short when he and his partner were defeated by the team of Arevalo and Pavic who are both tied for ATP No. 3 in doubles. Although their time in New York was short, the pair did give it their best effort forcing the No. 2 team in the tournament to play all three sets.

Hidalgo and Kadhe opened the match by winning the first set 7-5, but were defeated in set two 6(4)-7 and set three 4-6.

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