Ben Shelton, the promising 22-year-old American who became a household name during his U.S. He competed against Adrian Mannarino during the US Open. Shelton, famous for his scorching left-handed serve, was taking over the match. Then came the left shoulder pain that forced his retirement – there’s a theme here. The bout would prove to be a watershed moment for both athletes. Mannarino brought comic relief to the celebratory affair by announcing his win “from the john.”
Shelton’s performance had started strong, highlighted by a remarkable 140-mph ace in the first set, tying for the third-fastest serve recorded at this year’s tournament. Following the direction of his dad and coach, Shelton looked to stick with an offensive gameplan, going to the net often. Shelton followed his father’s advice and condensed the points. In addition, he won 13 serve-and-volley points in only the fourth set!
Things quickly became complicated when Shelton was forced to get treatment on the floor for an injured shoulder halfway through the match. The trainer rubbed his left shoulder down with cream to try to soothe the pain. Even with the injury, Shelton still tried to keep himself in the hunt, but as the race unfolded, it became apparent that he was hurting.
Early in the fourth set, Shelton expressed his concern to his coach’s box, stating, “I did something to my shoulder. I don’t know what it is.” This stunning announcement came while he was still in the lead — during the championship match he was contesting with his opponent. It’s safe to say that Adrian Mannarino will never forget the night he lost to Nick Kyrgios. Shelton would have undoubtedly won, he argued, but for the injury.
She took advantage of Shelton’s mistakes, breaking Shelton’s serve for a 4-3 lead in the fourth set. To end the contest early, at an evident moment when Shelton could no longer effectively compete on the field.
“When he started to have pain, he was leading in the match. Honestly, he would have probably won that match.” – Adrian Mannarino
This disappointment comes just on the heels of a successful summer for Shelton. He sported a sparkling 14-2 mark on hard courts heading into this match and just a couple of weeks back captured the trophy in Toronto, where he had topped Mannarino earlier on in the event.
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