Ben Shelton Stuns Carlos Alcaraz in Record-Late US Open Quarterfinal

Ben Shelton ended Carlos Alcaraz's US Open title defense with a five-set quarterfinal victory that finished later than any match in tournament history. BBC Sport reported that the American eighth seed won 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7), completing the result at 03:34 local time on Arthur Ashe Stadium. The contest lasted four hours and 28 minutes.

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The match began at about 11 p.m. in New York after earlier matches delayed the night session. Alcaraz claimed a closely contested opening set in a tie-break, but Shelton responded decisively. The 23-year-old put together a run of nine consecutive games as he took the second set and established control in the third.

Alcaraz forced the match into a decider with a fourth-set recovery. He saved two break points early in that set and then broke Shelton, before earning another break on his way to leveling the match. Neither player converted the chances that came in the fifth set, sending the quarterfinal to a 10-point match tie-break.

The deciding tie-break shifted repeatedly. Shelton led 3-1 before Alcaraz moved ahead 5-3, but the American won five of the next six points and completed the victory with an ace. According to the BBC, Alcaraz finished with 53 unforced errors, while Shelton produced a serve measured at 149 mph during the match.

The result represented Shelton's first victory over a top-three opponent after 17 previous defeats in such matches. It also reversed his record against Alcaraz, who had won all three of their earlier meetings. Shelton has now reached his third Grand Slam semifinal, matching his best run at a major after previous semifinal appearances at the 2023 US Open and 2025 Australian Open.

Alcaraz was playing his first tournament after more than four months away with a wrist injury. The seven-time major champion had won 18 consecutive Grand Slam matches and was trying to reach a fourth US Open semifinal in five years. Shelton will next face fellow American Frances Tiafoe on Friday, guaranteeing an American men's finalist in New York. No American man has won the US Open singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003.