Ben Shelton produced the biggest win of his career in the early hours of Wednesday morning, outlasting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in the latest-finishing match in U.S. Open history. The quarterfinal thriller at Arthur Ashe Stadium wrapped up at 3:33 a.m., more than four hours after it began just past 11 p.m., as Shelton snapped Alcaraz's 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and ended the Spaniard's title reign in New York. The victory propelled the American into an all-American semifinal against No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe, guaranteeing the United States a representative in Sunday's men's final.
It was the kind of night Flushing Meadows will be talking about for years, a record-setting marathon that left thousands of fans in their seats until the final point, chanting "USA! USA!" as their home favorite completed the upset against one of the sport's biggest stars.
How Shelton Seized Control of a Marathon Quarterfinal
The match swung violently from one extreme to the other. Alcaraz claimed the opening set in a tiebreak, but Shelton answered by winning nine straight games from early in the second set until he held a 3-0 lead in the third, seizing command behind the explosive left-handed serve that has become his signature weapon. Alcaraz, playing in his first tournament since April after returning from a right wrist injury, battled back to force a deciding set, even vomiting before its start, and appeared poised to escape when he ran off four straight points in the final tiebreaker to lead 5-3.
Shelton refused to fold. He leaned on serves that regularly topped 140 mph and eventually closed out the match with a 146 mph delivery that Alcaraz could not get back, securing his first career victory over a top-five seed at a Grand Slam.
"It's incredible," Shelton said afterward. "I always say that this is the greatest sports city in the world ... that this is the greatest stadium in the world. I'm just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don't have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours."
From 11 P.M. to 3:33 A.M.: How the Record Night Unfolded
The 3:33 a.m. finish shattered the previous U.S. Open record for the latest conclusion, which Alcaraz himself had set when he outlasted Jannik Sinner in a match that ended at 2:50 a.m. during the 2022 quarterfinals en route to his first Grand Slam title at age 19. Tuesday night's duel between Shelton and Alcaraz lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes, with thousands of fans remaining in Arthur Ashe Stadium until the very end.
The marathon capped a grinding day at the U.S. Open in which three of the four singles quarterfinals went to deciding match tiebreakers. Earlier in the day, Aryna Sabalenka edged Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova to keep alive her bid for a third straight U.S. Open title.
Why the Upset Matters: Ending Alcaraz's Reign
The result reshapes the men's draw in an instant. Alcaraz entered the night having won his seventh Grand Slam title at the Australian Open to open 2026 and riding an 18-match winning streak at majors before the wrist injury that sidelined him from April onward. Shelton, meanwhile, had never beaten Alcaraz in their previous meetings and had never recorded a win over a top-five seed at a Grand Slam, until now.
The victory also marks Shelton's third trip to a major semifinal, following runs to the final four at the 2023 U.S. Open and the 2025 Australian Open. For Alcaraz, the defeat drops his five-set record to 15-2 and sends him home without the title he was defending in New York.
Beyond the individual stakes, the result carries broader significance for American tennis. With Shelton set to face Tiafoe in the semifinals, the United States is guaranteed a representative in Sunday's final and is chasing its first men's Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick lifted the trophy at the 2003 U.S. Open. Shelton's booming serve and all-court aggression, on full display against Alcaraz, have long marked him as one of the players most capable of ending that drought.
An All-American Semifinal Awaits
Shelton's reward is a semifinal showdown with Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed, in a matchup that guarantees an American man will play for the championship. The two have been central figures in a resurgent generation of U.S. men's tennis, and their meeting will command the full attention of a home crowd eager to see a drought-breaking run completed on home soil.
For Alcaraz, the focus now shifts to recovery and the rest of the season. He returned in New York for his first tournament since April, and although he fell just short in the sport's most grueling format, the fight he showed, vomiting before the final set yet still pushing the match to a deciding tiebreaker, underscored why he remains one of the game's most feared competitors.
The Bottom Line: Key Takeaways
- Ben Shelton beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in the U.S. Open quarterfinals.
- The match ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest-finishing match in U.S. Open history (4 hours, 28 minutes).
- Shelton snapped Alcaraz's 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and ended his title reign.
- It was Shelton's first career win over a top-five seed at a major and his third Grand Slam semifinal.
- Shelton advances to an all-American semifinal against No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe.
- The U.S. is guaranteed a men's finalist and is chasing its first major title since Andy Roddick (2003).
