The narrative of a potential breakthrough for American men at the U.S. Open has faltered in the early stages, with 16th seed Brandon Nakashima being the latest high-profile American to exit the tournament. Nakashima fell in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, to Alex Michelsen at the Grandstand on Wednesday.
"He played a solid match, but from my end, that wasn’t close to the level that I can play at," Nakashima stated after his defeat. This outcome contrasts with Nakashima's recent strong performances, which included reaching the semifinals at the Cincinnati Open and the final of the Canadian Open, propelling him to a career-best singles world ranking of No. 17.
Nakashima acknowledged the increased pressure and media attention that comes with his recent success. "It has been a lot of new experiences for me, with maybe a little bit more added pressure, a little bit more with media and everything," he said. "I have to embrace it as much as possible, and try to find a way to kind of block out all the added noise and pressure, and just kind of focus on what I need to do out there and try to play well."
Other American contenders have also faced challenges. Ben Shelton, an eighth-seed and a semifinalist at last year's U.S. Open, has struggled to maintain momentum, dropping sets in his early matches. Shelton advanced to the third round after a four-set victory over Hubert Hurkacz, a match in which momentum shifted significantly. "I know I was never down in terms of set score, but the momentum definitely shifted. I mean, he hit another gear when I was up a set and a break, and the match [went from] fully in my control to up in the air," Shelton commented.
Despite his potential to end a 23-year drought for an American man winning a major title, Shelton stated his focus remains on the present. "I’m kind of just running my own race and focusing on the next round, thinking about the ways that I can improve and get better and continue to improve my game," he said. "I think that this is a tournament that I always want to do well in, that I would love to be contending for and in the second week of."
Notable absences and early exits from other top players, including Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic, had opened up the men's draw, fueling expectations for an American resurgence. However, performances from players like Carlos Alcaraz, who is returning from a wrist injury, and other American hopefuls have not consistently met those expectations so far in the tournament. The early rounds have seen struggles from other top American players such as Frances Tiafoe as well.