It was a brutal day for American tennis on Sunday at the BNP Paribas Open.
Three of the country’s biggest names, Ben Shelton, Tommy Paul, and Coco Gauff, were all eliminated in the third round.
Shelton and Paul were outplayed in their matches by young upstarts, while Gauff was forced to retire due to injury.
The results wiped out several of the United States’ top hopes of making a deep run in the tournament.
Read more from Sunday’s BNP Paribas Open American carnage.
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Rising American star Learner Tien stuns Shelton
Ben Shelton’s tournament ended when he was defeated by rising American star Learner Tien in three sets.
Tien won the opening set in a tiebreak before eventually closing out the match 7-6, 4-6, 6-3.
Shelton’s powerful serve helped him stay close, but Tien handled the extended baseline rallies better and kept Shelton from dictating points.
The victory marks one of the biggest wins of Tien’s young career and continues his strong run at Indian Wells.
Fonseca dominates Tommy Paul
Brazilian rising star João Fonseca delivered another surprise result by defeating Paul in straight sets.
Fonseca controlled the match from the baseline and beat the American 6-2, 6-3.
Paul struggled to find rhythm throughout the match as Fonseca dictated play and consistently pushed him onto the defensive.
Gauff forced to retire
The most concerning result for American tennis came on the women’s side.
Coco Gauff retired from her match against the WTA’s newest star, Alexandra Eala, after dropping the first set 6-4.
Eala led 2-0 in the second set when Gauff stopped play with an apparent injury.
The retirement raises questions heading into the next tournament in Miami, where Gauff has significant ranking points to defend.
Other results from Sunday
Elsewhere in the tournament, several top players advanced to the next round.
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jaqueline Cristian 6-1, 6-4.
Jannik Sinner also advanced comfortably, beating Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-2.
Former champion Naomi Osaka survived a three-set match against Camila Osorio, winning 6-1, 3-6, 6-1.
On the women’s side, Amanda Anisimova produced one of the most dominant performances of the day, defeating Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-1.
With several high-profile Americans already out of the draw, the tournament continues to open up heading into the second week.
Phil Naessens is a tennis betting analyst and former tennis coach with decades of experience in player development and match analysis. He is the founder of Crush Rush News and host of the Crush & Rush Tennis Podcast, focusing on price-first betting strategy, market efficiency, and transparency in sports wagering.
