(August 24, 2025) FLUSHING, NY – World No. 6 Ben Shelton entered the US Open as a Top-10 player for the first time in his career and opened Arthur Ashe for the second straight year. The American beat Peruvian qualifier Ignacio Buse, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in day one of the US Open for the first time, beginning on a Sunday.
“It’s starting to feel like home for me. This is the best court in tennis,” said Shelton, who had 35 winners to 32 unforced errors and was 126 for 33 in net points won. “It’s my favorite place to play. My favorite court, favorite tournament. Opening day, first match, there is always a little bit of nerves, but I’m really happy I came out here and did my thing.”
This US Open is celebrating former champion Althea Gibson, who 75 years ago was the first Black person to play at the US Open.
“She was “the” trailblazer for African Americans in tennis,”. Shelton said in his news conference. “If it wasn’t for her, obviously that’s who we’re honoring right now, and Arthur Ashe, as well, the stadium is named after.
“You know, who knows if my dad is ever playing tennis as a Black kid in Alabama in the ’70s and ’80s. You know, it still wasn’t easy, obviously. But I think that they’re the ones who made it possible.
“So, yeah, it was a great honor to kind of be on court with her family at the start of the match today. The nicest people ever.
“That was a cool experience and honor for me.”
Asked about Arthur Ashe and the barriers he also broke, Shelton said, “I think that, you know, my dad has a great outlook on things, because as difficult as things were for him, he always thought that he was in control of his own destiny. He didn’t want to handicap himself by thinking he was behind anyone else, whether it was getting into a great college and finishing a very difficult engineering degree, or being a professional tennis player.
“I mean, yeah, there’s moments where he’s told me stories of tournaments that he showed up, played, even won as a young kid, and then when he tried to enter the next year they didn’t let him play. Yeah, it’s not something I’m blind to or he’s blind to. Those things are real.
“But at the same time, you know, he had a pretty good career as a player, as a student, and now as a coach. He’s always thought he was in control of his own destiny, and I think he proved that. “
A good day continued for the Top-10 American men as No. 4 Taylor Fritz made quick work of a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 with a victory over yet another U.S. man, wild card Emilio Nava, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
“I take a lot of confidence from the run here, because I can have a result where I make it that deep in a slam feeling like I’m not playing incredible, I’m playing well but not, you know, as well as I know I can be playing,” Fritz said to media.
“So, you know, I’d say, like, end of last year, World Tour Finals, was huge. I thought I was playing some of my absolute best tennis then.
“And then, yeah, at Wimbledon this year, Indian Wells that year, I think I judge it more off of how I feel I’m hitting the ball in practice and playing, not so much off of the results, I guess.”
Playing in his home major gets Frtiz pumped up. “It’s definitely never going to be a problem feeling really excited, pumped up, motivated on the court with the crowd getting behind you. I think it also adds a layer of pressure to it as well that I’m playing my home slam and I obviously want to have a good result.
“But yeah, it’s great to have just the crowd behind you, for sure.”
“At the same time, I take a lot of confidence from the (final) run here, because I can have a result where I make it that deep in a slam feeling like I’m not playing incredible, I’m playing well but not, you know, as well as I know I can be playing.
There are 23 men from the United States in the field, the most since 1997 at what Fritz called “the most important tournament for us Americans all year.”
