With the match tied at two sets a piece, home favorite Ben Shelton is forced to retire from his third rounder at the US Open against Frenchman Adrian Mannarino due to a shoulder injury.
In his on-court interview, the world No. 77 outlined: “When he started to have pain, he was leading in the match. Honestly, he probably would’ve won that match. That’s unfortunate for him, and lucky for me. I’m happy to be through, but I wish him the best, of course.”
As a result, the 37-year-old Mannarino has become the second-oldest man in the Open Era to reach the fourth round at the US Open for the first time in his career with a scoreline of 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 (ret.) after three hours and seven minutes.
“I’m 37 years old and it’s the first time I’m winning a match from the toilet,” added Mannarino, who was off court having a bathroom break.
“There are always new things coming up, and I’m just enjoying my time on the court. I hope I can extend it for a little while.”
Next, the 5-time ATP titlist will meet the 20th seed Jiri Lehecka, who earlier beat Raphael Collignon in straight sets.
In the previous round, the world No. 107 from Belgium shocked 12th seed and former runner-up Casper Ruud in a five-set thriller.
Shelton, who is having his breakthrough season, playing a high level of tennis - claimed his maiden Masters 1000 in Toronto earlier this month - left the Louis Armstrong Stadium with tears in his eyes and a towel over his head.
During his post-match press conference, he spoke about his first career retirement on tour: “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 hurts.
“I was playing really well, I was in form, a lot of confidence. So many things to be happy with the way that I was playing, moving on the court, competing. As I said, it’s been a great summer, a lot of things to be thankful for.”
Adding: “The things that I’ve been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time and the people I got around me, like I said, a lot of blessings.”
It was not the end that either of the players had in mind when they hit the court at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
But the sport can sometimes be as spectacular as brutal, and hopefully, he will recover in time for the remainder of the season.
At the Grand Slam level in 2025, the Atlanta-born made it through the semifinals at the Australian Open, the round of 16 at Roland-Garros, and quarterfinals at Wimbledon.
Currently ranked at a career high of world No. 6, the 22-year-old gave signs of discomfort after pocketing the third set on set point, digging deep to win the point with brilliance, but falling to the ground.
From there, he appeared unwell, though he held his ground and then received a medical timeout at the beginning of the fourth set to treat his left shoulder pain.
“Usually, I’ll play through anything and just find a way. And whether it’s sickness or injury, if I can stay out there, I stay out there. I never felt anything like this before,” Shelton further shared with the press.
His movement on the forehand wing was limited, unable to continue displaying the top form exhibited throughout the contest as they played thrilling baseline exchanges.
In that regard, the experienced French player commented, “I was having good fun on the court; there were some really long rallies. I was losing some, winning some, but I think it was a really cool match to play.”
Mannarino and Lehecka have never played one another on tour before.