At the 2025 US Open, held at Flushing Meadows, the tennis world was treated to a day of raw emotion, unexpected milestones, and physical heartbreak.
American hopes were dealt a crushing blow when 22-year-old Ben Shelton, the sixth seed and one of the tournament’s brightest prospects, was forced to retire mid-match with what he described as the “worst pain” of his life. Locked in a fierce contest against veteran Adrian Mannarino, Shelton wiped away tears after a critical rally where he appeared to injure his shoulder. Battling through discomfort and after his father-coach urged him to prioritise health, Shelton exited the match—his first career retirement—bringing a heartbreaking end to a breakout season.
In the wake of Shelton’s emotional exit, Frances Tiafoe, the 17th seed, suffered a straight-sets defeat to Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, scraping away further American depth in the men’s draw. Across the women’s bracket, 10th seed Emma Navarro also bowed out earlier than expected, in a tough three-set loss.
Yet amid the setbacks, history was quietly being made. Novak Djokovic, carrying a niggling back issue, advanced to the fourth round and in doing so became the oldest man since Jimmy Connors (1991) to reach the last 16 at Flushing Meadows. More than that, the 38-year-old Serbian surpassed Roger Federer to set a new record for the most hard-court Grand Slam victories, tallying 192 wins. open
On the women’s side, Emma Raducanu, the 2021 champion, was eliminated by Elena Rybakina, effectively closing the book on British hopes at this year’s tournament. Meanwhile, defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka both moved forward—Alcaraz overcoming a brief knee scare en route to a commanding victory. Taylor Fritz remains the last American man standing, keeping alive hopes of a homegrown champion. On the women’s side, Taylor Townsend delivered a stunning upset over fifth seed Mirra Andreeva, and players like Jessica Pegula and Marketa Vondrousova continued their runs.
This day at the US Open served a powerful reminder of the sport’s fragility: even as dreams were dashed by injury, new legends quietly etched their names into the record books. The tournament moves forward on a stage marked by both despair and triumph.
