Ben Shelton vs Hubert Hurkacz LIVE: US Open 2026 Start Time and How to Watch
Eighth-seeded Ben Shelton meets Hubert Hurkacz in the second round of the US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sept. 2, 2026, with the American entering as a heavy favorite. This is the first career meeting between the two players. Hurkacz, a 29-year-old right-hander from Wrocław, Poland, reached a career-high ranking of No. 6 in August 2024 but now sits at No. 47 after a season that included a six-match losing streak between the Australian Open and Miami. He arrives fresh off a Challenger-level title run in Cancun.
Start Time and How to Watch
Shelton is scheduled to take the court at 1 p.m. ET against Hurkacz. The match can be streamed through a subscription-based sports platform offering ESPN Unlimited coverage.
Shelton’s path here was far from smooth. He dropped the opening set 1-6 to Tallon Griekspoor before rallying to win the next three sets, needing a tiebreaker in the third, and closing out the match by taking all but three of the remaining games. The performance followed a first-round exit at the Cincinnati Open, raising some questions about his consistency heading into New York.
Despite that, 2026 has been a standout year for Shelton overall. He won four titles across hard, clay and grass surfaces, becoming just the eighth player in the sport’s history to accomplish that in a single season, joining a list that includes Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. He also defended his Canadian Open title on August 13, winning the ATP 1000 event without dropping a set, helping him hold a top-10 ranking through a mixed run at the majors.
Hurkacz needed work to get past the first round himself. He beat Damir Dzumhur 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1 and is now attempting to advance past the second round of the US Open for the first time in seven appearances at the tournament. He has been eliminated in the second round in six of those trips and lost in the first round in 2019.
The men’s draw opened up considerably after two-time champion Jannik Sinner withdrew before the tournament began, and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz has been playing through the aftermath of a five-month wrist injury layoff. Novak Djokovic was also eliminated in a five-set upset on the opening night. That combination has created what many see as Shelton’s clearest opening yet to reach a maiden Grand Slam final, with home-crowd support at Flushing Meadows adding to the stakes.
Should Shelton win, he will face either Denis Shapovalov of Canada or Luca van Assche of France in the third round. A victory would keep intact his run as the tournament’s top-ranked American man and push him one step closer to the quarterfinal stage he needs to reach for career-best results at this event. For Hurkacz, a win would mark a personal breakthrough, finally clearing a round he has never gotten past in seven prior US Open appearances.
