Shelton and Fritz main the cost
Shelton leads a fearsome males’s area representing Group USA, together with six of the highest 20 seeds and two among the many high 10. Taylor Fritz is the opposite premier challenger, a former finalist and Olympic bronze medallist.
However it’s Shelton who has had the stronger season: extra factors, extra titles and, maybe crucially, fewer factors to defend than Fritz, after exiting final 12 months on the third spherical.
The absences of the injured Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic (eradicated in the primary spherical) may even give the world No. 9 confidence; he has solely gained one among his 10 conferences in opposition to Grand Slam champions.
Nonetheless, there stays a projected quarter-final in opposition to defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, whom Shelton has by no means overwhelmed in three conferences. The sphere is robust, however the U.S. star has hearth in his stomach and the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd to spur him on.
Shelton subsequent prepares for a second-round match-up in opposition to Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, the previous world quantity six, now ranked forty seventh after a set of harm setbacks.
Their career-first assembly is the second match on Arthur Ashe Stadium Wednesday (2 September), with the session getting underway at 12:30 native time (EDT, UTC-4).
