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.”