Weeks after Ben Shelton exited the US Open due to a shoulder injury in the third round, the American tennis pro turned up for his country for the Davis Cup tie. Shelton has arrived in Delray Beach, Florida, to cheer for World No. 4 Taylor Fritz, No. 14 Frances Tiafoe and others in the Second Round Qualifier against Czechia, to be held on September 12-13.
Davis Cup’s official X page posted the update. In the photo, the World No. 6 was sitting on a bench, possibly enjoying a game there.
“Supporting your country comes first 👏 Ben Shelton is in Delray to support Team USA 🇺🇸,” the caption of the post read.
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Shelton was originally named on the Team USA squad. However, his shoulder injury forced him to sit out. Despite not being available to play, Shelton showed his loyalty by arriving there. Like Shelton, World No. 16 Tommy Paul was also named in the initial squad. He has also withdrawn with an abdominal injury.
Two singles matches are scheduled for Friday evening. A doubles match and then two more singles matches will be conducted on Saturday afternoon if needed.
Because of injuries, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul won't be able to participate in the Davis Cup tie. Reilly Opelka and Austin Krajicek were added to the US team as replacements. They join Taylor Fritz, Rajeev Ram and Francis Tiafoe.
The winner from this round will go on to the Final 8 in Bologna, Italy, in November. Team USA is aiming high this year. With top-ranked players headlining their roster, they are pushing for their first Davis Cup title since 2007.
Ben Shelton's US Open dreams came crashing in third round
Ben Shelton was riding high in confidence before entering the tournament in New York. Coming off his first Masters 1000 title at the 2025 Canadian Open (Toronto), where he defeated Karen Khachanov 6-7(5), 6-4, 7-6(3), Shelton was expected to go deep in the US Open men's singles draw.
He cruised to the third round after defeating Ignacio Buse and Pablo Carreño Busta. However, he had to retire in the third round against Adrian Mannarino due to a left shoulder injury. The match was heading into its fifth and final set before Shelton made the decision to give a walkover to Mannarino.
Shelton's possible inclusion in the next round of the Davis Cup, scheduled for November, will largely depend on how well he recovers from his injury. Team USA's odds to win will be boosted if he recovers and joins the team in time.
