Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz get the American men off to a strong start at the US Open

NEW YORK (AP) – There’s a larger contingent of Americans in the U.S. Open men’s bracket than at any time in the past quarter-century. Might be the best crop in nearly that long, too, and two of the leaders – Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton – got the tournament started on Sunday with dominant performances.

Shelton, the No. 6 seed and twice a Grand Slam semifinalist, needed just 2 hours, 7 minutes to get past qualifier Ignacio Buse of Peru 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the first contest in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the event’s debut of a Sunday start instead of Monday.

Fritz, the No. 4 seed and the runner-up to Jannik Sinner at Flushing Meadows a year ago, needed about 10 fewer minutes to move on with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 victory over yet another U.S. man, Emilio Nava, a wild-card entry, at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

In all, there are 23 men from the host country in the field, the most since the same number were in the draw in 1997 at what Fritz called “the most important tournament for us Americans all year.” There are 25 U.S. women, which is less of a milestone for a group that regularly produces Grand Slam champions and finalists.

“I do think the competition among all of us,” Fritz said about the men, “pushes all of us and gives us motivation to be better.”

They’re all chasing the same prize: the first Grand Slam singles trophy for an American man since Andy Roddick triumphed in New York in 2003.

That’s quite a ways away at this point, though, especially considering that Sinner and No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz have combined to win each of the past seven major titles.

“As soon as you start looking ahead of yourself, you stumble over your own feet,” said Shelton, who lost to Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals in January, to Alcaraz in the French Open’s fourth round in June and to Sinner in the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July.

“This is the one, for sure,” Shelton said about the U.S. Open, where he reached the final four in 2023. “This is the pinnacle of tennis for me, what I dreamed about when I was a kid.”

He produced some highlight-worthy moments Sunday while accumulating more than twice as many winners as Buse, including one swerving, around-the-post forehand that looked very much like something his idol – another lefty, by the name of Rafael Nadal – used to do.

Shelton won the point on 26 of 33 trips to the net and saved all five of Buse’s five break chances.

Fritz, similarly, went 13-for-14 at the net and swept aside all four break points he faced, buoyed, he said, by “the confidence that I know I’ve played well here before.”

Emma Raducanu won a match in New York for the first time since she won the 2021 U.S. Open title, eliminating Ena Shibahara 6-1, 6-2. Other players in action included No. 1 seed and defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, while at night, Novak Djokovic was scheduled to face 19-year-old Californian Learner Tien, before 2024 runner-up Jessica Pegula was up against Mayar Sherif in the last match in Ashe.

Venus Williams is slated to make her return to Grand Slam tennis after a two-year absence, meeting 2023 French Open finalist Karolina Muchova on Monday night. The 45-year-old Williams is a seven-time major singles champion. Others on the Day 2 program include Alcaraz against big-serving American Reilly Opelka, Australian Open champion Madison Keys, and two-time U.S. Open semifinalist Frances Tiafoe.