Taylor Fritz gives his immediate reaction after both Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe crash out of the US Open

The hope for an American winner at the US Open took a big hit in the third round, with two of the top candidates bowing out of the tournament.

Frances Tiafoe will see his ATP ranking drop after his campaign at Flushing Meadows ended with a straight-sets defeat to Jan-Lennard Struff, following his semifinal finish last season.

Meanwhile, world number six Ben Shelton was forced to retire due to a shoulder injury in his clash with Adrian Mannarino.

The 22-year-old, who reached the final four in New York in 2023, attempted to play through the pain, but ultimately, the discomfort was too much, and he left the court in tears.

Though two American stars have exited the competition, the US number one, Taylor Fritz, remains in the draw.

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Taylor Fritz reacts to Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe’s US Open exits

After winning his third-round match against Jerome Kym, Fritz reacted to the exits of his compatriots in his press conference.

He said: “I am happy to get through the day. It could have been a rough one for all of us. It sucks. I feel bad for those guys.

“Especially, I feel bad for Ben, so for him to pull the plug you know it has to be a serious injury because at least on the court you know he was really feeling something because he is an amazing competitor, and he is going to compete through pretty much anything, I feel like.

“I was on the table getting ready and had not really checked the scores, and then out of nowhere, my physio came in and goes Ben just pulls out, and Frances is down two sets.

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“I was like wow, this kind of came out of nowhere. So it’s a rough day for the guys, and I feel for them.”

Taylor Fritz’s fourth-round opponent at the US Open

Fritz is in pursuit of returning to the final at the US Open, having reached the championship match in 2024, where he lost to Jannik Sinner.

In his way, however, is fourth-round opponent Tomas Machac, who he has played twice at tour-level events.

He first faced Machac in their only Grand Slam clash to date on clay at Roland Garros in 2020, where Fritz emerged victorious in five sets.

Their only other bout came at the United Cup earlier this year, where, after the Czech star went a set up in the match, he was forced to retire due to injury.

They will now meet for a third time, in what marks a maiden hard court meeting at a major.

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