Shelton Ends Alcaraz's US Open Reign in Match That Finished at 3:33am
Ben Shelton has knocked defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out of the US Open, winning 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a quarter-final that finished at 3:33am, the latest end to any match in the tournament's history.
The American sealed it with a 146mph ace after four hours and 28 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, ending Alcaraz's 18-match winning run at Grand Slam events.
A First Win Over the Elite
The victory was Shelton's first over a top-three opponent. He had lost all 17 of his previous attempts, including three against Alcaraz.
Alcaraz took a tight opening set on a tie-break before Shelton took control, winning the second and third as the Spaniard's level dropped and his forehand became increasingly unreliable. Alcaraz responded by taking the fourth 6-1, forcing a decider that went the distance.
Thousands stayed in the stadium to the finish, with both players drawing loud support through the night.
Speaking afterwards, Shelton said he was tired and described the match as a war, calling Alcaraz one of the great champions of the sport and the contest the most enjoyable of his career. He credited the crowd for carrying him through, saying it was always about the people watching, whether his coaches, his team, his family or a New York crowd that stayed until three in the morning.
The previous record for the latest finish at the US Open also involved Alcaraz, who saved a match point to beat Jannik Sinner at 2:50am in the 2022 quarter-finals on his way to a first Grand Slam title.
What It Means for the Draw
Alcaraz's exit guarantees a new US Open champion. None of the players left in the draw has won the title at Flushing Meadows, with top seed Alexander Zverev among those still involved.
Shelton, 23, has risen five places to fourth in the live rankings as a result of the run and is in position to set a career high when the tournament finishes. He won a second consecutive Canadian Open title last month.
He now meets Frances Tiafoe, who came from two sets down to beat fellow American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) earlier in the evening. That result means an American is guaranteed a place in Sunday's final, with the chance to end a drought stretching back to Andy Roddick's title in 2003.
Shelton leads their head-to-head 3-1. Two of their four meetings have come at Flushing Meadows, with Shelton winning a quarter-final in 2023 before Tiafoe took a third-round match in 2024.
Alcaraz's Season
The defeat ends a tournament Alcaraz had entered without a competitive singles warm-up match, having been out since April with a right wrist injury that cost him the French Open and Wimbledon.
He had reached the quarter-finals without dropping more than a set, beating Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, Wu Yibing and Tommy Paul, and was seeded second in the absence of world number one Sinner, who withdrew on 21 August with a knee injury.
The men's semi-finals take place on Friday, with the final on Sunday.
