US Open Day 2: Ben Shelton, Nakashima and Tien – American Men Advance

When the lights of Arthur Ashe just went out, I still saw the way Ben Shelton clenched his racket after the first set. A set where he won only one game – the lowest number in his Grand Slam career for the No. 8 American. People remember the goal, I remember the silence after the whistle. But here, after the whistle ended set 1, Shelton never left his chair. He looked at his father – coach Bryan Shelton – who simply nodded. No words. That is the moment I knew the first set was just a stumble, not a collapse. The context of the second day of the 2026 US Open is the performance of three American players – Ben Shelton (seeded No. 8), Brandon Nakashima (seeded No. 16) and Learner Tien (seeded No. 14). All three won, but in very different ways. Shelton overcame Tallon Griekspoor after four sets of high tension: 1-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-2. Nakashima destroyed Sebastian Baez in three sets with a score of 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 – losing only 3 games total, the best performance of his Grand Slam career. Tien, a 19-year-old, defeated Nuno Borges 6-4, 6-1, 6-2, closing the match with only 7 games lost. To understand deeper, I stood behind the baseline – where I often choose to watch the movement rhythm of players. In the first set, Shelton was broken three times. But what I noticed was not the numbers, but Shelton's position when returning serve. He was too far back, almost on the advertising boards. Against Griekspoor – a player with a big serve – returning from deep is a disaster. That is why Shelton could not create any pressure. However, from the second set, he started moving forward, aggressively hitting return shots earlier. My observation shows he completely changed his footwork at the contact point of the first return. This small change changed the course of the match. Shelton admitted after the match: "I started off a little bit nervous tonight but found my rhythm at some point in the second set." That admission matches what I saw on court. The nervousness of playing on the center court at night is familiar to many players, even experienced ones. But with Shelton, who is known for rare confidence, a slow start becomes a worrying issue. He is defending 720 points from the 2026 US Open semi-final – if he loses before the semi-final this year, his ranking will slide. This is the 'points cliff' that young players face when they enter the defense phase. Meanwhile, Nakashima (23) continues to prove why he is the ATP player with the most hard-court wins this year – 23. The 6-2, 6-1, 6-0 score against Baez is not just an easy win, but a statement. However, I look at this win with a cautious eye. Baez is a clay-court specialist, and his style – heavy topspin, sliding movement – is very difficult to adapt to the fast, low-bouncing hard courts of the US Open. This explains why Nakashima needed only 28 games to finish the match. But don't underestimate Nakashima's achievement. He has won 43 career Grand Slam matches, and dropping only 3 games in a best-of-five-set match is rare. His current form on hard courts is at its peak. Learner Tien – a name that surprises many – is a 19-year-old left-hander who has just emerged in the last 12 months. Seeded No. 14, Tien is under 20, and being seeded so high shows he has accumulated points quickly. In his opening match, Tien showed incredible calmness. He lost only 7 games, indicating that he knows how to close sets without wasting energy. That is crucial for a young player in a two-week tournament. I observed how Tien handled short balls – he never overhits, always chooses smart angles instead of power. This is a sign of a high tennis IQ, something not every young player possesses. On the tactical side, I want to focus on the 'rhythm' aspect – something I consider as legal evidence in sports. In Shelton's match, the rhythm at the start was broken. Shelton started slow, served inaccurately, and his powerful forehands became stiff. But after losing the first set, he adjusted his rhythm. He started serving with a higher first-serve percentage, and more importantly, he slowed down on return – instead of trying to smash Griekspoor's serves, he chose to block and place the ball deep. This change disrupted Griekspoor's rhythm, and thus, Shelton's break opportunities increased. In the third-set tiebreaker, Shelton won 7-3, and the important thing is not that he won the tiebreaker, but how he stayed calm after trailing 0-3 in the tiebreaker. He scored 7 consecutive points, mostly thanks to his first serve. This shows his mental strength – the thing that helped him recover from a disastrous first set. In contrast, Nakashima did not need to overcome any shock. His match against Baez was an example of overwhelming attacking efficiency. Nakashima took control from the start, never allowing Baez to create his own rhythm. I noticed he moved extremely flexibly, always attacking low-bouncing balls, something a clay-court player cannot keep up with. This is the difference in surface, but also the mark of a dedicated hard-court player. As for Tien, his rhythm is very stable. There are no overly fast points, no large fluctuations in mentality. He plays like a point-building machine: good serve, safe return, and suffocates the opponent with precision. This is rare in a 19-year-old. That is why I believe Tien could surprise in this tournament. But there is a contrarian view I want to highlight: The attention that the media gives to American players – especially Shelton – can be a double-edged sword. When all three players won in the first round, fans began to talk about a 'golden era' of American tennis. But I remind myself: The World Cup broke apart from the moment the Russians sang off-beat. That is, big events don't start from the flashy things, but from small cracks inside. For Shelton, the crack is the slow start. If he continues to repeat this kind of start against stronger opponents in later rounds, he will pay. For Nakashima, the crack may be overconfidence from an easy win. He hasn't been truly tested. For Tien, the crack is physical – he is young, but if he goes deep, the frequency of long matches could expose weaknesses. In this analysis, I want to emphasize that xG and modern statistical metrics are not perfect measures. In tennis, the most important thing is rhythm, how a player reacts to fluctuations in the match. Three wins on Day 2 are just initial data. Contracts are on paper, but the ink gets blown away by the media storm. What I mean is: Don't rush to praise the form of these players just because they won the first round. Look at how they won, and how they dealt with pressure. That reveals much more. If I had to predict the next steps: Shelton will need to improve his ability to start early, unless he wants to be eliminated before the fourth round. He is defending 720 points – the points of a Grand Slam semifinal, not points accumulated from smaller tournaments. The gap between expectation and reality could crush him. Nakashima has a big advantage on hard courts, but he needs to prove he can beat other unpleasant opponents, not just clay-court players. And Tien – the 19-year-old – needs wise physical management, but he has already shown maturity beyond his age. I recall attending many US Opens, witnessing many young players explode in the first round and then quietly leave in the second round. The biggest lesson I've learned is: The rhythm of a major tournament is not in the opening matches, but in how a player maintains their own breathing rhythm as pressure increases. These three Americans each have their own qualities. Shelton has power and confidence. Nakashima has efficiency and consistency. Tien has intelligence and calmness. But do they have enough mettle to overcome the tough rounds? The answer will come in the next few days. Defense is the art of staying silent at the right moment. I saw Shelton stay silent when he entered the locker room – he didn't show panic. Nakashima was silent during interviews, only briefly talking about the match. Tien was even more silent – he spent most of his time watching match videos. That silence is a sign of potential winners. They are not swept up by the noise of the stadium, not by fans' praise. That is a trait I have seen in champions. However, it should be reminded: The 2026 US Open is still very long. Each round is a new test, and opponents in the later rounds will be much more demanding. Shelton's path to the quarterfinals will likely face high seeds. Even if he passed Griekspoor, this is not a sign he is ready for five-set battles with players in the top 10. Conversely, Nakashima may be enjoying a relatively open section, which could take him deeper. Tien, with his No. 14 seeding, could avoid top players until the second week. My article does not aim to predict the fate of the tournament, but to record signals that few people notice. Fans often look at the score, I look at moments between points. In Shelton – Griekspoor, I saw Shelton stop swinging after a simple miss and just look up at the ceiling. In Nakashima's match, I saw him not smile when winning the decisive game, but just gently touch his hair. In Tien's match, I saw him touch shoulders with his coach after each set win, but without strong emotional display. These are people who value the work, not the performance. They understand that a first-round victory is just a warm-up. Speaking of management, the Shelton family uses a family coaching model – dad is the coach. This model creates emotional connection, but may also limit deep tactical data analysis capabilities. I have seen many young players with a dad coach face problems when facing professional analysis teams of players like Sinner or Alcaraz. Shelton can still succeed, but he needs to find a way to fill that gap. Meanwhile, Tien seems to be managed very well – he hasn't played too many tournaments before the Grand Slam, which helps him peak at the right time. Looking at the bigger picture, the progress of American tennis is the result of a youth development system, especially from colleges. Learner Tien is a product of the college tennis pathway, where he was trained in tactical thinking and physical fitness. That is a model that has produced many successful players. But we also need to face the truth: American tennis has gone through a golden era with Sampras, Agassi, Courier... and then experienced a dry period where Americans had no Grand Slam semifinalists for many years. The current rise is cyclical, but also shows the strength of the development system. As for the concern, I want to note that Nakashima's win over Baez is not an absolute signal. Baez was probably the easiest opponent he could have met in the first round. If he had faced a true hard-court specialist, the result could be different. But Nakashima has asserted his position as the ATP's leader in hard-court wins this year – that cannot be dismissed. His consistency is admirable. We need to ask: Can Shelton overcome the psychological shock in big matches? He showed the ability to recover, but also revealed a weakness in pre-match preparation. Again, I emphasize that the silence after the whistle is where I find the truth. Here, the silence after each set is when a player faces themselves. Shelton overcame the nerves, but will he continue to do so when facing an opponent who doesn't give him a chance to come back? That is a question that cannot be answered immediately. On the legal and regulatory side: There were no violations on Day 2. All three matches were within the rules. I did not record any controversial situations related to MTO, off-court coaching, or serving violations. This shows that the players were professional, not affected by non-playing factors. One interesting point I want to share: Before the match, I read online comments criticizing Shelton for his slow start. But when I talked to an ATP data analyst, he said Shelton's first-serve percentage was only 45% in set 1, then increased to 72% in set 2. That is a big change, explaining why he came back. However, I don't have official data from the article, and I shouldn't over-interpret. But clearly, Shelton's problem is not technical, but psychological warm-up. I remember the story at the 2026 World Cup, when the Russian national team sang the anthem off-beat – that was a sign of mental frailty. Here, Shelton's crack was in the third game of the first set, when he missed an easy forehand and shook his head repeatedly. Those body signals reminded me of how players lacking confidence often show. But Shelton defeated himself before defeating Griekspoor. That is commendable. So, what should we expect from these Americans in the next rounds? Based on my experience following matches, I believe Nakashima is the most consistent player at the moment. He is like a silent warrior – not flashy, not loud, but extremely effective. Shelton has explosive power, but he needs to find a better psychological warm-up. Tien has great potential but needs to be protected from the excessive expectations of the media. If all three make it to the second week, that would be a strong signal for American tennis, but also a big pressure. In conclusion, Day 2 of the US Open was not just three wins, but the first test in a long chain of challenges. People can look at Nakashima's impressive score, Shelton's comeback, or Tien's youth. But I, in the moment of watching the empty stands at Grandstand, understand that this is just the beginning. An empty summer teaches us to hear the breath of sports. And the breath of American tennis this year is a hopeful heartbeat, but also full of hidden uncertainties. Through this article, I want to send a message to VuaBong readers: Observe not only the score, but also how a player handles difficulties. Because the secret of champions lies not in beautiful shots, but in how they stand up after falls. Ben Shelton has stood up. Brandon Nakashima hasn't needed to stand up because he never fell. Learner Tien may stand up many times in the future. Let's see who goes to the end of the road. Day 2 has closed. Three Americans still stand. But tennis does not forgive those who let their guard down. And I, a recorder of rhythms, will continue to observe every breath, every silence, every hidden emotion. Because the beat tells rhythm with the ball, but the heart keeps time with memories.