Carlos Alcaraz has been knocked out of the U.S. Open quarterfinal by American Ben Shelton, who also set the record for latest late finish ever at Flushing Meadows.
Shelton closed the match at 3:34 a.m. ET on Wednesday, September 9, in a five-set thriller against Alcaraz, 6-7 (5/7), 60-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7).
The Buzzing Shelton taking complete advantage of the home crowd dashed all hopes of a reigning champion lifting the title again.
The match lasted about four hours and 28 minutes, surpassing the previous record for the latest finish at the U.S. Open, set in 2022, when Alcaraz defeated in a five-set epic quarter-final again that ended at 2:50 a.m. ET.
In an on-court interview, Shelton described the match as a “war, epic match” adding, “Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old.”
“It’s always fun being on the court against him. It’s ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes—the most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career, for sure,” Shelton reflected on a match so good, Shelton didn’t even mind the sunrise.
Alcaraz, who had shown tremendous strength in his last four matches, found Tuesday’s quarterfinal to be a challenge he couldn’t overcome.
“I knew that my serve was only going to get better, and if I had already dialed in the return to the point that I couldn’t break him, I thought my chances were good to get that second set,” Shelton reflected on the match.
“Once I got rolling the second set, broke him three times in that set, it was a lot easier to just play and swing more freely,” Shelton continued.
Shelton, who played in the U.S. Open semis in 2024, now faces world No. 17 Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals.
2026-09-09 14:40:00
