Ben Shelton ended Carlos Alcaraz’s US Open title reign in the latest-finishing match in the tournament’s history, pulling out a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory at 3.33 a.m. Eastern time Wednesday, 4 hours and 28 minutes after the match began just after 11 p.m.
The No. 8 seed ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and became the first American to defeat him at a major, the first left-handed player to do so, and the first American to beat a defending US Open champion in five sets since 18-year-old Peter Sampras defeated Mats Wilander in 1989.
The match was the fifth-latest finish in major tennis history. Thousands of fans stayed through the night at Arthur Ashe Stadium, and the crowd responded by chanting Shelton’s name and USA throughout the final set.
Shelton said it was incredible, called New York the greatest sports city in the world and Arthur Ashe the greatest stadium. He added, with some humor, that he hoped his best friend and sister in the stands did not have to be at work in three hours.
He described the match as a war and said Alcaraz is one of the greatest champions in the sport. He said it was the most enjoyable match of his career.
How it unfolded
Shelton seized control with nine consecutive games from early in the second set until he led 3-0 in the third. Alcaraz battled back, taking the fourth set, and he vomited before the fifth began. He ran off four straight points in the final tiebreaker to lead 5-3, but Shelton came back with powerful serves exceeding 140 miles per hour alongside Alcaraz errors.
Shelton closed it with a 146 mph serve his opponent could not return.
What it meant
Shelton reached his third major semifinal, having previously made the final four at the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open. The win over Alcaraz was his first career victory over a top-3 ranked player, entering the match 0-17 in that category.
Alcaraz had held a 12-match winning streak in major five-set matches, tied for the longest in the Open era. He said afterward that he was disappointed not to win but proud of how he fought. He said he was physically very tired but found a way to push himself. He said he was leaving happy and with his head held high, adding that one goal coming in was to leave the tournament having played matches and staying healthy after missing four months with a wrist injury.
No man has defended the US Open title since Roger Federer won five straight from 2004 to 2008. The run of 18 consecutive US Opens without a repeat champion is the second-longest in tournament history.
The American semifinal
He next faces No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe, who beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) to reach his third US Open semifinal. The match between Shelton and Tiafoe will be the first meeting in a major semifinal or later between Black American men in the Open era. One of them will become the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
The United States is guaranteed a men’s representative in Sunday’s final for the first time since 2003, when Andy Roddick won the title.
