Ben Shelton eliminated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz from the US Open early Wednesday morning, winning a five-set quarterfinal that stretched four hours and 28 minutes and ended at 3:33 a.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the latest finish in the tournament’s history. Shelton won 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7), converting a tight final-set tiebreak to advance to the semifinals.
The victory was the first career win for Shelton over a top-three ranked opponent and ended Alcaraz’s bid to defend his US Open title. Alcaraz had entered the tournament fresh off winning the Australian Open earlier in the year but had dealt with injury setbacks through the season, and he could not sustain the physical toll of a match that swung heavily in momentum across its five sets.
Shelton, an American left-hander known for one of the fastest serves on tour, broke through in the second and third sets after dropping the opener in a tiebreak, before Alcaraz forced a decider by taking the fourth set 6-1. The fifth set again went to a tiebreak, where Shelton closed it out to move into an all-American men’s semifinal for the first time since the tournament expanded its current format.
Who does Shelton face next?
Shelton will play fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal, guaranteeing that at least one American man reaches this year’s US Open final. The two have faced each other on tour before, and both have publicly discussed the rarity of two American men meeting this deep in a home Grand Slam, a milestone that has not happened with this level of frequency in recent decades of men’s tennis dominated by European and South American players.
Tournament officials moved the late-night match’s start time earlier than originally scheduled because of a lengthy match that preceded it on the same court, but rain delays and a marathon third-set tiebreak in the prior match still pushed Shelton and Alcaraz’s contest deep into the night. The US Tennis Association has faced recurring criticism in past years over late finishes at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and Wednesday’s match renewed discussion about scheduling changes for future tournaments.
For Alcaraz, the loss closes out a season that began with a Grand Slam title in Australia but was disrupted by physical issues that limited his court time over the summer. He is expected to return to competition on the ATP Tour later this year as he looks to defend his ranking position heading into the next season.
