It was a battle between two left-handers with contrasting styles: Benjamin Todd Shelton, seeded eighth and the highest-ranked American in the draw, defeated Denis Viktorovich Shapovalov on Arthur Ashe Stadium court 7:6, 6:7, 6:3, 6:4 to punch his ticket to the round of 16. The victory was reward for a composed performance in the key moments — and extended his personal winning streak against the Canadian to 5–0.
Two tiebreaks open a tight contest
The opening two sets developed into a genuine nerve test. Shelton took the first tiebreak 7–3, seemingly steering the match in the right direction early on. Shapovalov responded with conviction, however: in the second set the Canadian turned the tiebreak his way 7–5 to level at one set apiece. Both players dominated on serve for long stretches — Shelton held serve on 82 percent of his service games, Shapovalov on 71 percent. Shapovalov struck eight aces to Shelton's 14, while their first-serve speeds were closely matched at averages of 188 and 193 km/h respectively. After two sets, the match was completely open.
Shelton takes control
From the third set onwards, Shelton demonstrated why he had already claimed four titles on three different surfaces in 2026. He converted his break points efficiently — capitalising on 55 percent of his opportunities — and gave Shapovalov little room to threaten. He took the third set comfortably 6–3 before sealing the match 6–4 in the fourth. Shapovalov, who had arrived in New York with a modest season record and several injury setbacks behind him, converted just 45 percent of his own break points — too few against an opponent who allowed no lapses in the decisive phases. Shelton finished with 47 winners, well clear of Shapovalov's 28, though his 54 unforced errors represented a higher error count than the Canadian's 36.
A historic milestone and a look ahead
In reaching the round of 16, Shelton not only underlined his form this year but also carved out a small piece of tennis history: he became the first American left-hander to advance to the third round of the US Open in four consecutive editions. For Shapovalov, the defeat reflected a familiar pattern — in his four previous US Open appearances he had never progressed beyond the third round. The Canadian had arrived in form after reaching the final in Los Cabos and had been targeting a run into the second week following a comfortable straight-sets victory over Luca Van Assche. Shelton, who reached the semifinal at Flushing Meadows in 2023 before suffering early exits in each of the two following years, now sets his sights on a deep run at the final Grand Slam of the year.
