Ben Shelton will play his first-round match at the 2025 US Open on Sunday, the first time the tournament is starting on a weekend instead of the traditional Monday beginning. There, he will take on Ignacio Buse, a qualifier from Peru who is making his debut at the Grand Slam level.
Buse is currently ranked World No. 136, and made his first entry into the ATP main draws only earlier this year at the Chile Open. The 21-year-old entered the qualifiers of all three previous Majors in 2025, but lost in the first round at all of them.
Interestingly, Buse, the nephew of renowned Peruvian chef Gaston Acuria, almost played college tennis in the USA. In the fall of 2023, he signed for the University of Georgia’s men’s tennis team, back when he was ranked around 700 in the world. However, at the last minute, he had to drop out after facing visa troubles for entering into the United States.
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After that, the Peruvian decided not to go the college tennis route, and went pro instead. In 2023 and 2024, he won three titles on the ITF Tour before winning his maiden ATP Challenger title this season. He also broke into the top 150 in the world for the first time in 2025.
Ignacio Buse, speaking in an interview with Tennis.com, also revealed that he has been trying to get his online degree in business alongside his tennis career, at the same time admitting that it has been difficult.
"It’s impossible to study during tournament weeks. I manage to catch up during practice weeks," he said.
As for hobbies, Buse is a fan of FC Barcelona, falling in love with the club after he moved to Spain for his tennis training.
“I keep up with the results of my club, Universitario de Deportes in Lima, but I rarely watch the games. I used to follow them more when my cousin was on the team. Now that I live in Spain, I keep an eye on FC Barcelona instead,” Buse said.
Ignacio Buse has also played at the Davis Cup, representing Peru in their clash against Chile. At the junior level, Buse reached one Slam final in doubles, at the French Open.
Ben Shelton looking for maiden Grand Slam final at US Open 2025
Meanwhile, Ignacio Buse's opponent, Ben Shelton, will be looking to make his maiden Grand Slam final at the 2025 US Open. The American has reached two semifinals before, once each in New York and the Australian Open.
Last year, Shelton fell in the third round at Flushing Meadows, and will be looking to make it farther this time around. He is seeded No. 6 this year, and is likely to face World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals based on draw projections.
