Second-seeded Ben Shelton advanced to the quarterfinals of the ATP and WTA Washington Open on Tuesday after overcoming a rain-interrupted first-round match against qualifier Martin Damm. The 23-year-old American left-hander, currently ranked eighth in the world, secured a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory in his first hardcourt outing ahead of the US Open.

The match, delayed for over two hours due to rain, saw Shelton initially take control by winning the first set and holding a 4-3 lead in the second. However, Damm fought back to even the match by breaking Shelton’s serve late in the second set. After a tight third set with both players trading breaks, Shelton broke serve at 5-4, closing out the contest after two hours and nine minutes. He attributed the match’s difficulty to the disruption and Damm’s strong response after the delay, saying, “That was tough to swallow losing that second set the way I did, but happy with the way I fought.”

On the women’s side, seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams was eliminated in the first round, extending a challenging period in her career. The 46-year-old American lost 6-3, 6-3 to Austria’s Anastasia Potapova, marking her 12th consecutive defeat and continuing a stretch without a WTA match win since last year’s Washington Open.

In other notable results, 17-year-old Cruz Hewitt, son of former world number one Lleyton Hewitt, captured his first ATP Tour victory in his main draw debut. The Australian, ranked 612th globally, defeated American qualifier Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4 in 74 minutes. Hewitt’s next opponent will be the winner of a postponed match between top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Australia’s Alex de Minaur, the defending champion.

On the women’s side, Alexandra Eala staged a comeback to defeat China’s Zheng Qinwen 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 after two hours and 26 minutes. The 21-year-old from the Philippines, who gained international attention for her historic run to the Wimbledon last 16, will face defending champion and seventh seed Leylah Fernandez of Canada in a round-of-16 matchup on Wednesday.

The Washington Open continues to serve as a key warm-up event before the US Open, attracting a mix of established players and emerging talents.