Ben Shelton wins anticlimactic US Open encounter with ailing former champion Dominic Thiem

WARM & FUZZY: Ben Shelton

NEW YORK—One of the most anticipated matches of the 2023 US Open’s first week ended abruptly on Wednesday when 2020 champion Dominic Thiem was forced to retire after trailing Ben Shelton, 6-7 (1), 0-1.

Thiem only narrowly lost an enthralling opening set, which ended in a tiebreaker in favor of the hotshot young American, when he suddenly seized up in the first game of the second, appearing in distress as he awaited advice from the trainer.

Deciding he could not continue, he shook Shelton’s hand to send the 20-year-old into the third round for the first time in his career, where former Australian Open semifinalist Aslan Karatsev awaits.

The retirement is the latest setback for Thiem, who was at a career-high ranking of No. 3 shortly before the global pandemic forced the tennis world to shut down in March of 2020. Though he won the first major tournament played on resumption in Flushing Meadows, injuries and illness have curtailed his progress in the three years since, incurring a wrist injury that caused him to fall outside of the world’s Top 300.

Still, the Austrian looked in solid form despite having to withdraw from the Winston-Salem Open last week citing a GI illness, upsetting No. 25 seed Alexander Bublik in straight sets to book the second round against Shelton, who is in the midst of a breakout season.

The unseeded American began the year with a shock run to the last eight at the Australian Open, his lefty game garnering plenty of positive attention and helping him sign a head-to-toe deal with On Running ahead of the Miami Open in March.

Shelton saved a set point serving down 4-5 against Thiem and played a dominant tiebreaker as Thiem evidently began to flag. It was later revealed that Thiem threw up before the match, and was heard telling the physio that he attempted to again between sets, but was unable to do so.