The battle for the American No 1 ranking is in full swing and there is every chance we will have a new holder of the title by the end of this tournament.
Taylor Fritz has been the leading American player for some time, with his run to last year’s US Open final cementing his position in the top five of the ATP Rankings throughout 2025.
Yet with the 1,200 points he collected in last year’s US Open dropping off his ranking at the end of this year’s tournament, Fritz’s status as America’s top player is under threat.
Big-serving Ben Shelton is up to No 5 in the live ATP Rankings after his first round win against world No 135 Ignacio Buse.
Next up for Shelton is a clash against experienced Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta, with Fritz in line to take on South Africa’s Lloyd Harris.
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Both will be expected to win their matches and make it into round three, but Fritz may be unable to stop Shelton overhauling him as America’s new No 1 unless he repeats his success of going all the way to the final of this year’s US Open.
As Shelton went out in the third round of last year’s US Open, he has huge potential to make rankings gains if he can get deep into the second week in New York and he is talking up his hopes of achieving that goal after a strong first win against Ignacio Buse.
“It’s starting to feel like home for me. This is the best court in tennis,” Shelton said after his round one win at Flushing Meadows.
“It’s my favourite place to play: favourite court, favourite tournament. So opening day, first match, there are always a little bit of nerves, but I’m really happy I came out here and you guys got to see me do my thing. I’m really appreciative of everyone who came out.”
“We take it one step at a time. I’m trying to get better every day,” Shelton said. “I think that as soon as you start looking ahead of yourself, you stumble over your own feet. So for me, it’s one match at a time, one day at a time and just grateful to be out here.
“I’m happy to come back here every year. This is the one for sure. This is the pinnacle of tennis for me, what I dreamed about when I was a kid.”
Shelton is sitting at No 4 in the ATP Race, which charts points collected in 2025, and that position highlights his impressive displays over the course of this calendar year.
Fritz is down in sixth position in the ATP Race, with the top eight players on that list qualifying for the lucrative end-of-season ATP Finals.
The post New No 1 American set to be crowned at US Open as two names battles for the prize appeared first on Tennis365.
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