Ben Shelton chases down a shot from Adrian Mannarino during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships on Friday in New York. (AP photo)

NEW YORK — Ben Shelton quit during his third-round match at the U.S. Open on Friday because of a left shoulder injury.

The No. 6-seeded Shelton, a two-time major semifinalist, stopped after dropping the fourth set against Adrian Mannarino, forcing a fifth set. The injury was perhaps caused when he landed on his left arm after tracking down a ball in the corner on the final point to win the third set.

But early in the fourth, the 2023 U.S. Open semifinalist began wincing and said to his coach’s box: “I did something to my shoulder. I don’t know what it is.”

He received treatment in the middle of the set, where the trainer rubbed some cream on his left shoulder, and tried to shorten the points afterward by consistently attacking the net. But after Mannarino won the set, Shelton was visited again by the trainer and called off the match, leaving the court with a towel over his head and tears in his eyes.

Mannarino, a 37-year-old from France, ended up with his first victory in 23 career against matches against top-10 players in Grand Slam tournaments.

Shelton was one of the best hopes to give the U.S. its first men’s major champion since Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open. Another of them, No. 17 seed Frances Tiafoe, who had reached the semifinals in Flushing Meadows in two of the previous three years, was eliminated with a 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7) loss to German qualifier Jan-Lennard Struff.

Shelton’s left-handed serve is one of the most powerful in tennis, and his 140-mph ace in the first set matched the third-fastest of this U.S. Open.

He still was able to crank up some hard ones after the injury, but repeatedly grabbed at the shoulder after — or even in the midst of — points.

Alcaraz OK after knee scare

Carlos Alcaraz was cruising along in the U.S. Open’s third round, leading by a set and a break after taking 10 of the first 14 games in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday, when an awkward step while striking a forehand caused an issue with his right knee.

The No. 2-seeded Alcaraz, who won the first of his five Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows in 2022, got broken for the first time in the tournament, then took a medical timeout and had his leg massaged by a trainer. Problem solved: Alcaraz rolled through the rest of the match, never dropping another game, and beat No. 32 Luciano Darderi 6-2, 6-4, 6-0.

It was the first, brief hint of any trouble for the 22-year-old Alcaraz this week — well, other than the hair-cutting mistake by his brother that led to a shaved head.

He didn’t let teasing from Frances Tiafoe about that bother him, and Alcaraz didn’t seem too concerned about what went on with his knee against Darderi, a 23-year-old Italian who was making his debut as a seed at a major.

“I just felt something that was not working good in the knee, but after five, six points, it was gone,” Alcaraz said, describing the visit from the trainer as precautionary. “I’m going to talk with my team, but I’m not worried about it.”

Other than that blip, his play was terrific in the 1-hour, 44-minute match.

He delivered 31 winners to just 12 unforced errors and won 70 of the 105 points that lasted four shots or fewer.

“It’s too bad that I ran into Carlos in the third round, because right now it’s impossible to play against Jannik (Sinner) or Carlos. They are the two whose level is above everyone else’s,” Darderi said. “Everyone knew going into today that my chances were not the highest.”

Alcaraz, who faces Arthur Rinderknech in the fourth round, improved his career Grand Slam record to 80-13. Only Boris Becker, Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal were younger — by a month or two — when they got their 80th match win at majors.

What else happened at the US Open on Friday?

The 82nd-ranked Rinderknech reached the fourth round at a Slam for the first time by defeating Benjamin Bonzi 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. Bonzi had won both of his first two matches in five sets, including in a wild one against 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, who was fined $42,500 by the tournament for his meltdown after play was delayed when a photographer wandered onto the court. Emma Raducanu’s best run at Flushing Meadows since her 2021 trophy ended with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to No. 9 Elena Rybakina.

Who is on today’s schedule at the US Open?

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Naomi Osaka and Jannik Sinner are among the players scheduled to play on Saturday as the third round wraps up.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis