Ben Shelton wins five-set thriller over Carlos Alcaraz at US Open…
At 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday morning, under the lights and in entrance of as many people who had dared to sacrifice the night time of sleep and the next day of labor to stay round and witness pretty much as good a tennis match as most of them would ever see, Ben Shelton let all his emotion go.
He clenched his fists. He screamed and screamed again and again and again.
He walked to his box and roared some more. And why not?
He had just accomplished the match of his life and is still alive to end the American males’s lengthy drought at the U.S. Open.
Ben Shelton lets out a celebratory yell after his thrilling five-set win over Carlos Alcaraz of their U.S. Open quarterfinal match. Jason Szenes for New York Post
And what that just may imply, is that in the 23-year-old Shelton, there may be an American male face of tennis in a means there has not been since Andy Roddick retired.
Across 4 hours and 28 minutes, Shelton, seeded eighth, surprised seven-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) — knocking out the Spaniard who has lifted the trophy right here twice, and who had dropped just one set in his first 4 matches right here in 2026.
Shelton will face Frances Tiafoe, who received his personal epic on Arthur Ashe some hours earlier, in the semifinal on Friday.
That ensures an American male will play in the U.S. Open final for the second time in three years and, more poignantly, for just the third time in 20 years.
And in Shelton, there could also be the best likelihood anybody has had for an American man to interrupt a Grand Slam drought that has spanned 23 years, since Roddick bested Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003.
“For me it’s always about the people in the crowd,” Shelton said in an on-court interview afterward. “Whether it’s my team over there, my family and friends over here, every single New Yorker showing up here tonight at 3 am with the USA chants until the very end.”
Ben Shelton hits a backhand volley during his five-set match against Carlos Alcaraz in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Jason Szenes for New York Post
The Floridian regarded so at residence on the New York stage. He performed with emotion and theatrics, had the crowd on his facet and managed to beat Alcaraz without ever trying like he was leaning on his 140-mph serve.
He coated the baseline terrifically, managed factors in the return game, picked his spots at the internet.
Rally after epic rally, he went blow for blow with arguably the best participant in the world, and then some.
Carlos Alcaraz hits a forehand during his five-set match against Ben Shelton in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Even with that, it took 5 grueling units and the whole lot Shelton had in his tank to make it by.
As each gamers stayed on serve in the fifth set, the morning handed 2:50 a.m. and the match turned the latest in U.S. Open historical past.
As Alcaraz served down 3-4, it hit 3 a.m. and as he staved off a trio of break factors and screamed into the night time, the match crossed the four-hour threshold and by then, everybody still there wasn’t going anyplace because when you’ve stayed that late, you’re pot dedicated.
They stayed on serve. It went to a tiebreak. Of course it did.
Shelton led the 10-point tiebreak 3-1 and dropped the next 4 factors.
He pulled again ahead with a booming serve at six-all, then watched an Alcaraz backhand sail lengthy to go up 8-6. He misplaced the next point, then served at 8-7 for the match with the constructing able to explode.
Carlos Alcaraz reacts during his match against Ben Shelton during their quarterfinals match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST
Alcaraz hit a return large for 9-7.
Then Shelton unleashed an ace to end it.
From the starting, it had regarded destined for a memorable end.
US soccer participant Trinity Rodman watches boyfriend Ben Shelton defeat
Carlos Alcaraz during their quarterfinals match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST
With each males on serve at five-all in the first set, Shelton blinked first. Then he broke Alcaraz again and took a 5-3 lead in the tiebreak before dropping 4 consecutive factors for the set.
No matter — and never shaken after failing to transform 4 break factors in the opening game of the second set — Shelton ripped off 9 consecutive games against an more and more confused Alcaraz to take the second set 6-1 and open a 3-0 lead in the third, more than sufficient to coast to a 6-3 end.
A clock shows 4 hours and 28 minutes, the time wherein Ben Shelton took to defeat Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open. Jason Szenes for New York Post
Against nearly anybody else on the planet, this would have been over in 4 units after Shelton dominated the second and third, making his opponent look bizarrely regular. Against Alcaraz, it was all however assured to go 5 — and certainly, the Spaniard recovered to cruise by a 6-1 fourth set.
It was only proper that this would go all the means.
Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz shake arms after the late-night U.S. Open quarterfinal thriller, received by Shelton in 5 units. Jason Szenes for New York Post
And after Connors and McEnroe, Chang and Agassi and Sampras and Roddick and a era in the wilderness, this might just have been the night time the next male face of American tennis appeared to take up the mantle.
“It’s incredible,” Shelton said. “I would say this is the greatest sports city in the world, I would say this is at the greatest stadium in the world. I’m just hoping my best friend and my sister up there don’t have to be at work at 6 am in three hours.”
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