Ben Shelton\u2019s US Open campaign ended in tears on Friday after he withdrew mid-match with a shoulder injury he called the \u201cworst pain\u201d of his life, while milestone man Novak Djokovic battled through his own physical struggles to reach the fourth round.
\nCanadian Open champion Shelton was locked in an entertaining contest with Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the day\u2019s opening match on Louis Armstrong Stadium when his tournament suddenly unravelled.
\n\u201cI just did something to my shoulder, I don\u2019t know what it is. I\u2019m in a lot of pain,\u201d the American sixth seed told his father and coach Bryan during a medical timeout.
\nAs left-hander Mannarino fought back to level the match at two sets all, a devastated Shelton wiped away tears before withdrawing ahead of the decider, leaving fans gasping at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
\nShelton\u2019s compatriot 17th seed Frances Tiafoe lost 6-4 6-3 7-6(7) to big-serving German Jan-Lennard Struff at the Grandstand, while 10th seed Emma Navarro went down 4-6 6-4 6-4 to unseeded Czech Barbora Krejcikova in another upset.
\nAs the younger generation nursed their wounds, 38-year-old Djokovic was making history under the lights of Arthur Ashe Stadium.
\nThe Serb recovered from a lower back problem to knock out Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-7(4) 6-2 6-3, eliminating the last remaining Briton in the men\u2019s draw and becoming the oldest man to reach the last 16 at Flushing Meadows since Jimmy Connors in 1991.
\nThe four-time US Open winner also surpassed Roger Federer to become the man with the most hardcourt victories at the majors with his 192nd win, inching closer to a record 25th Grand Slam title.
\n\u201cI\u2019m good, man. I\u2019m as young as ever and strong as ever,\u201d said Djokovic after his battling victory.
\nEarlier in the day, 2021 champion Emma Raducanu fell 6-1 6-2 to Elena Rybakina at the same Louis Armstrong Stadium that witnessed Shelton\u2019s anguish, as British hopes in the women\u2019s draw ended with clinical efficiency from the Kazakh.
\nDefending champion Carlos Alcaraz weathered his own injury scare, overcoming knee concerns to dismantle Italian Luciano Darderi 6-2 6-4 6-0.
\n\u201cIt was just the game that he broke my serve, on the last point after the serve \u2026 I just felt something in the knee,\u201d said Alcaraz, who took a precautionary medical timeout but allayed concerns with a devastating display.
\n\u201cIt was bothering me. But after five-six points it was gone. I was worried after that. That\u2019s why I asked for the physio. It was nothing serious, so just for precaution.\u201d
\nDefending women\u2019s champion Aryna Sabalenka knocked out Leylah Fernandez 6-3 7-6(2) to erase the sting of her 2021 US Open semi-final upset at the hands of the Canadian.
\n\u201cI\u2019m very happy with the win.\u201d
\nElsewhere in the women\u2019s draw, fourth seed Jessica Pegula progressed with a 6-1 7-5 victory over twice Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka and was joined in the fourth round by former Wimbledon winner Marketa Vondrousova, who beat Italian seventh seed Jasmine Paolini 7-6(4) 6-1.
\nThe last 16 will also feature unseeded American Taylor Townsend, who advanced with a 7-5 6-2 victory over fifth seed Mirra Andreeva in another massive upset.
\nShelton, despite his heartbreak, refused to wallow in self-pity when he faced the media.
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been pretty fortunate with my life: blessings, talents, a lot of things God\u2019s given me,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cYou won\u2019t hear me over here pouting about how bad things are with the summer that I\u2019ve had, the things I\u2019ve been able to do in this sport in a short amount of time and the people I got around me.\u201d
\nFourth seed Taylor Fritz lifted some of the gloom with a gritty 7-6(3) 6-7(9) 6-4 6-4 victory over Switzerland\u2019s Jerome Kym in the last match at Ashe, becoming the only remaining American man in the last 16.
\nHe may be joined in the next round by 14th-seed Tommy Paul, who faces Alexander Bublik on Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ben Shelton\u2019s US Open campaign ended in tears on Friday after he withdrew mid-match with a shoulder injury he called the \u201cworst pain\u201d of his life, while milestone man Novak Djokovic battled through his own physical struggles to reach the fourth round. Canadian Open champion Shelton was locked in an entertaining contest with Frenchman Adrian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500181,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500177","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n