Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, two of the top American hopes on the men’s side, will kick off third-round action at the U.S. Open on Friday. Shelton faces Adrian Mannarino, while Tiafoe battles Jan-Lennard Struff.
(6) Ben Shelton vs. Adrian Mannarino
It will be an all-lefty showdown when Shelton and Mannarino collide for the fourth time in their careers in round three of the U.S. Open on Friday afternoon. Of course, leftiness is where the similarities between the two begin and end. Mannarino is a 37-year-old who massages the ball around the court while taking very few risks. Shelton is a 22-year-old who can overpower opponents with one of the biggest serves on tour. It should be a fascinating contrast of styles in a matchup that Mannarino leads 2-1. He prevailed in three sets at the 2023 Miami Masters and in five at the 2024 Australian Open, but Shelton just rolled 6-2, 6-3 at the Toronto Masters earlier this summer.
It’s no surprise that Shelton turned the tide in Toronto, as he is now a far more complete player than he was when he twice lost to Mannarino. The American, who went on to lift the Toronto trophy, has climbed to No. 6 in the world and comes in at fourth in the race to Turin. Shelton has advanced in New York with straight-set victories over Ignacio Buse and Pablo Carreno Busta, while Mannarino had disposed of Tallon Griekspoor and Jordan Thompson while dropping just a single set. The world No. 77 is no fun to play against when he is in this kind of form, but their recent head-to-head result is very encouraging for Shelton and–even in the early stages of his career–it is clear that he is going to thrive for a long time on the big stage of the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Pick: Shelton in 4
(17) Frances Tiafoe vs. (Q) Jan-Lennard Struff
Like Shelton, Tiafoe prioritizes the U.S. Open over any other tournament–which is what he should do as an American. The 27-year-old has peaked at this event several times throughout his career, including with a semifinal run last summer. Tiafoe laid the foundation for what he hopes is more noise-making in New York with wins earlier this week over Yoshihito Nishioka (straight sets) and Martin Damm (four).
Up next for the world No. 17 is a third encounter with Struff, who trails the head-to-head series 2-1. Their two most recent contests were absolute thrillers; Struff prevailed in five sets at the 2020 French Open before Tiafoe won the 2023 Stuttgart final 4-6, 7-6(1), 7-6(8). Speaking of thrillers, the 144th-ranked German upset Holger Rune 7-6(5), 2-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 on Wednesday night. That was preceded by a trio of qualifying wins and a four-set defeat of Mackenzie McDonald. Struff is one of the biggest hitters in tennis, so he is always dangerous. However, it’s tough to pick against Tiafoe at this particular tournament except when he is facing one of the very best players in the world.
Pick: Tiafoe in 4
