A single match can dramatically alter the landscape of a major tournament. Ben Shelton’s hard-fought loss to Alexander Zverev in the Cincinnati quarterfinals has unexpectedly paved a smoother path for Taylor Fritz’s at the upcoming US Open. While Shelton’s valiant effort captured everyone’s attention, Fritz’s early exit from Cincinnati might have been a blessing in disguise. At least that’s what his ranking signifies!

Fritz’s brutal loss (4-6, 6-4, 6-7) against Brandon Nakashima in the round of 64 at the Cincinnati Masters came with a price. The bronze medalist in doubles at the Olympics, Fritz, had to stay stagnant on his ATP 12th rank after back-to-back early-round losses in Canada and Cincy. Moreover, the lack of points as per the Olympic rules further complicated his position on the ranking list, even after putting forward a decent game in Paris. But, as they say, luck favors those who try!

When the top players were busy representing their country to the world in the Olympics, the 26-year-old player’s compatriot, Shelton, strived to gain some extra points in the Citi Open, Canadian Open, and Cincinnati Masters by skipping the Games altogether. Unfortunately, it did not reflect well on his ranking points.

After a semifinal defeat in Washington, followed by a round-of-32 elimination from the Canadian Open, and lastly, a quarterfinal exit from Cincy, the 21-year-old player now stands poised at No. 11 in the ATP ranking, just below Fritz. With Shelton merely 10 points (3110) behind Fritz (3120) in the live rankings, a quarterfinal win in Cincinnati would have catapulted him ahead, earning him 200 crucial points. However, Fritz now finds himself in more favorable early-round matches heading into the US Open with Shelton’s loss.

The upcoming tournament’s round of 16 matchups has been set, putting seeds 9–12 against seeds 5-8, while seeds 13–16 face the daunting task of taking on seeds 1-4. Shelton’s misfortune means Fritz will enjoy a relatively easier draw, potentially paving the way for a longer run in the competition. While Shelton will have to face Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Alexander Zverev (the top four players) to move forward in the event, Fritz will enjoy relatively easier matches. The former World No. 5 will have to battle against Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, and Casper Ruud. But the complications do not end here.

While against Rublev (5-4) and Hurkacz (3-1), Fritz has a lead, the opposite scenario is true in the case of Ruud (0-2) and Medvedev (0-1). Therefore, although this stroke of luck might be an added advantage for the American player, he would still have to overcome the challenges on his way to reach the finals of the game! In doing so, he will create a record for his career, which he failed to produce last year even after coming quite close to it.

Here’s how Taylor Fritz’s 2023 U.S. Open had a heart-wrenching end

In 2023, Fritz had his best U.S. Open results, but it came to a halt at the hands of Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Although he was able to create 12 break points against Djokovic, it was his serve-normally his biggest weapon-that let him down against him. “How I served in the third set of that match is how I need to serve if I want to give myself a chance to beat someone like Novak,” he said after the match. 

However, it was not all bad for the American player, as he climbed back to the top 10 ATP ranking even after facing a loss against the 37-year-old player. And it provided him with the motivation he needed to move forward in his matches. “I’m still having an overall good year, even though I’m probably serving the worst I have served, just because the other parts of my game are much better. It speaks to where I have improved elsewhere. But I definitely need to get that back to how I felt like I used to be.”

Fritz’s last year’s experience playing on his home-ground was not ideal, but this season he has the opportunity to prove himself and put his amazing tennis to the test!