Ben Shelton fell at the first hurdle in the Cincinnati Open after losing in straight sets to qualifier Jaime Faria.

The home favourite lost 6-4 6-4 in an hour and 50 minutes, failing to build on his successful title defence at the Canadian Open last week.

Although Faria made a strong start in the first, converting a break point in the third game, the Portuguese player was made to work for the set.

Faria faced and saved nine break points in the opener, including five across his last two service games as he held on to his lead.

Shelton threatened a comeback in the second, breaking to go 3-1 ahead after saving two break points himself.

But despite Shelton extending his advantage to 4-1, Faria reeled off five consecutive games before clinching an impressive win with his first match point.

"In these moments, you got to take it all in and just enjoy," Faria said post-match.

"It's a very emotional moment for me and my team, and to do it here in front of an amazing crowd, against the home player at night and at an amazing venue, just makes it a little more special."

Frances Tiafoe, meanwhile, progressed on home soil as he defeated Lorenzo Sonego 6-3 6-4 to set up a third-round clash with compatriot Learner Tien.

66.2 - Only two players in the format's history (min. 50 wins) have claimed a higher share of career match wins than Frances Tiafoe (66.2%, 43/65) at the three American ATP Masters 1000 events - Mardy Fish and James Blake. Home.#CincyTennis | @CincyTennis @atptour pic.twitter.com/PzmAYkfSVd

— OptaAce (@OptaAce) August 17, 2026

Shelton struggles against the underdog again

Shelton seemed to be in imperious form on hard courts, winning in Montreal without dropping a single set, but the American once again failed to get past what should have been a straightforward tie.

In fact, in 2026, Shelton is now 7-4 against qualifiers or lucky losers at ATP-level events.

Faria, meanwhile, has claimed his first win over a top-10 ranked opponent, having lost on both of his previous attempts against such opponents.

And Tiafoe has once again impressed in front of his home crowd, something he does so quite often.

Only two players in the format's history (minimum 50 wins) have claimed a higher share of career match wins than Tiafoe (66.2%, 43/65) at the three American ATP Masters 1000 events – Mardy Fish (70%) and James Blake (67.5%).