After dramatically winning the third set, during which Shelton slipped and fell, he began to experience increasing pain in his left shoulder. In the fourth set, Shelton repeatedly showed discomfort, signaling to his coach and father, Bryan Shelton, in the stands.
Despite receiving medical attention, Shelton's condition did not improve significantly. The camera captured the 22-year-old looking towards his team and saying he had "never felt so much pain in my life". Shelton tried to continue playing, but the injury severely limited his ability to approach the net, forcing the home favorite to play mostly from the baseline.
Shelton lost the fourth set, sat down for a moment, and then approached the umpire to announce his retirement. He shook hands with Mannarino, tearful, with the score at 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 4-6.
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Shelton waves to the crowd in tears after his match with Mannarino at Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York on 27/8. Photo: Reuters |
Shelton waves to the crowd in tears after his match with Mannarino at Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York on 27/8. Photo: Reuters
This result is a significant setback to Shelton's ambition of becoming the top-ranked American player, a position currently held by world number five Taylor Fritz. More importantly, the injury halts his momentum in what has been his best season so far, highlighted by his first Masters 1000 title in Canada earlier this month.
"Usually, I try to play through it whether I'm sick or hurt. If I can stay on the court, I will. Today was different. I've never experienced anything like this before," Shelton said in his post-match press conference. "Shoulder injuries are always complicated. I’ll need further examinations to determine the extent of it. On the court, I just used painkillers to try and keep playing."
Mannarino has been in excellent form since the start of the tournament, defeating tough opponents like Tallon Griekspoor and Jordan Thompson. Against Shelton, he played a competitive match, holding his own against the younger opponent. But the French player admitted: "He started having problems when he was controlling the match. Honestly, he probably would have won. It's really unlucky for him, and lucky for me. I don't really know what to say right now. I'm happy to move on, and I wish Ben all the best."
This is the first time in his career that Shelton has had to retire mid-match. It also ends American hopes of a highly anticipated quarterfinal clash between Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz at this year's US Open.
Vy Anh
