Ben Shelton rallies past Tallon Griekspoor in U.S. Open opener

Ben Shelton started his 2026 U.S. Open with a 6-1 opening-set loss, but he shook off the nerves and dominated the next three sets to advance. Shelton defeated Tallon Griekspoor 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2 in two hours and 35 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“Obviously a lot of credit to Tallon, he’s a difficult player to play,” Shelton said after the match. “He doesn’t give you a lot of rhythm. He has an attacking game style and I found things really difficult for the first set tonight.”

The former Florida Gator was broken three times in the opening set, including the very first game. Griekspoor returned Shelton’s serve deep, pushing the No. 8 seed farther away from the baseline and forcing errors. It was an abject disaster for Shelton, but he recovered quickly.

In the second set, Shelton found his rhythm, controlling most of the rallies. He found his first serve more consistently, and Griekspoor committed eight unforced errors. In almost every way, the first two sets were polar opposites.

The third set was the tightest of the match. Both players held serve, forcing a tiebreak. Shelton took it 7-3 behind an ace, a Griekspoor unforced error and a costly double fault.

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Shelton took full control of the match immediately in the fourth set. He broke Griekspoor in the first game and never looked back. Throughout the match, Griekspoor complained about not being able to find his serve, growing visibly frustrated with each lost point. Shelton remained composed and fed off the home crowd.

“I started off with a little bit of nerves tonight,” Shelton said after the match. “I found my rhythm at some point through the second set.”

Rain threatened to delay the match after the first set, but the roof was closed for the remainder of the night.

The victory was Shelton’s 10th at the U.S. Open. He reached the semifinals in 2023. Up next is world No. 47 Hubert Hurkacz. The two have never met.

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