By HOWARD FENDRICH AP Tennis Writer
NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz was cruising along in the U.S. Open’s third round, leading by a set and a break after taking 10 of the first 14 games in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, when an awkward step while striking a forehand caused an issue with his right knee.
The second-seeded Alcaraz, who won the first of his five Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2022, got broken for the first time in the tournament, then took a medical timeout and had his leg massaged by a trainer. Problem solved: Alcaraz rolled through the rest of the match, never dropping another game, and beat No. 32 Luciano Darderi, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0.
It was the first, brief hint of any trouble for the 22-year-old Alcaraz this week – well, other than the hair-cutting mistake by his brother that led to a shaved head.
He didn’t let teasing from Frances Tiafoe about that bother him, and Alcaraz didn’t seem too concerned about what went on with his knee against Darderi, a 23-year-old Italian who was making his debut as a seed at a major.
“I just felt something that was not working good in the knee, but after five, six points, it was gone,” Alcaraz said, describing the visit from the trainer as precautionary. “I’m going to talk with my team, but I’m not worried about it.”
Other than that blip, his play was terrific in the 1-hour, 44-minute match.
He delivered 31 winners to just 12 unforced errors and won 70 of the 105 points that lasted four shots or fewer.
“It’s too bad that I ran into Carlos in the third round, because right now it’s impossible to play against Jannik (Sinner) or Carlos. They are the two whose level is above everyone else’s,” Darderi said. “Everyone knew going into today that my chances were not the highest.”
Alcaraz, who faces Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round, improved his career Grand Slam record to 80-13. Only Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal were younger – by a month or two – when they got their 80th match win at majors.
SHELTON RETIRES WITH INJURY; TIAFOE FALLS
Ben Shelton quit during his third-round match on Friday because of a left shoulder injury.
The sixth-seeded Shelton, a two-time major semifinalist, stopped after dropping the fourth set against Adrian Mannarino, forcing a fifth set. The injury was perhaps caused when he landed on his left arm after tracking down a ball in the corner on the final point to win the third set.
But early in the fourth, the 2023 U.S. Open semifinalist began wincing and said to his coach’s box: “I did something to my shoulder. I don’t know what it is.”
He received treatment in the middle of the set, where the trainer rubbed some cream on his left shoulder, and tried to shorten the points afterward by consistently attacking the net. But after Mannarino won the set, Shelton was visited again by the trainer and called off the match, leaving the court with a towel over his head and tears in his eyes.
Mannarino, a 37-year-old from France, ended up with his first victory in 23 career against matches against top-10 players in Grand Slam tournaments.
“When he started to have pain, he was leading in the match,” Mannarino said. “Honestly, he would have probably won that match.”
Shelton was certainly a heavy favorite in it after coming in with a 14-2 record this summer on hard courts and winning the title in Toronto, where he routed Mannarino early in the tournament.
Shelton was one of the best hopes to give the U.S. its first men’s major champion since Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open. Another of them, No. 17 seed Frances Tiafoe, who had reached the semifinals in Flushing Meadows in two of the previous three years, was eliminated with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7) loss to German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff.
Shelton’s left-handed serve is one of the most powerful in tennis, and his 140-mph ace in the first set matched the third-fastest of this U.S. Open.
He still was able to crank up some hard ones after the injury, but repeatedly grabbed at the shoulder after – or even in the midst of – points.
Bryan Shelton, his father and coach, told the 22-year-old to come forward, hoping to end the points quickly. Shelton had 13 serve-and-volley points in the fourth set after only three in the first three sets, and he was at the net for a missed volley when Mannarino broke him for a 4-3 lead in the fourth.
Shelton fought off four set points in his next service game before Mannarino held to win the set. The 77th-ranked Mannarino left the court for a bathroom break as Shelton sat on his bench, with his father motioning his arms to tell his son to call it off, which he did when Mannarino returned.
“I’m 37 years old,” Mannarino said. “It’s the first time I’m winning a match from the toilet.”
RADUCANU ROUTED BY RYBAKINA
Emma Raducanu’s best U.S. Open since her surprising 2021 title ended in the third round with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in just 62 minutes.
Raducanu, who said she will continue to work with new coach Francisco Roig through the end of this season, has lost to past Grand Slam champions at every major in 2025: Iga Swiatek at the Australian Open and French Open, then Aryna Sabalenka at Wimbledon before this exit.
“When the very top play against me, they have a point to prove that they’re at the top, and they’re there for a reason. I think every time I’ve played one, they’ve kind of shown that. So I think at the same time, while I’m improving, doing better, gaining maybe some more respect around, the top have definitely raised their game,” Raducanu said. “I’ll take that as a compliment that they’ve decided to really lock in against me. But at the same time, it does show I have a lot more work to do.”
Rybakina reached Week 2 at Flushing Meadows for the first time. This is the only Grand Slam tournament where the No. 9 seed from Kazakhstan hasn’t made it to at least the quarterfinals.
“It’s true: For some reason, the U.S. Open wasn’t really successful for me,” Rybakina said. “Hopefully this year, that will change.”
She next faces 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova, who eliminated two-time major finalist Jasmine Paolini, 7-6 (4), 6-1.
Rybakina was dominant against the unseeded Raducanu, who until this year hadn’t won a match in New York since becoming the first qualifier to win a major trophy four years ago.
Rybakina hit serves at up to 118 mph, never faced a break point and compiled a 23-8 advantage in winners at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
After plenty of troubles with injuries, Raducanu has been enjoying a stronger season, including a career-high 26 tour-level wins. She had dropped a total of just six games through her first two U.S. Open matches this week.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED FRIDAY?
The 82nd-ranked Rinderknech reached the fourth round at a Slam for the first time by defeating Benjamin Bonzi, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Bonzi had won both of his first two matches in five sets, including in a wild one against 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who was fined $42,500 by the tournament for his meltdown after play was delayed when a photographer wandered onto the court.
WHO PLAYS SATURDAY?
Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner are among the players scheduled to play on Saturday as the third round wraps up.
AP sports writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this story.
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