(September 9, 2026) FLUSHING MEADOWS, NY – In a match that set the record for the latest match finish at the US Open at 3:33 a.m. No. seeded Ben Shelton defeated defending champion and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) early Wednesday morning.
The Americans’ win snapped Alcaraz’s 18-match winning streak in major tournaments in a match that lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes.
It will be a battle between two Americans in one semifinal, as No. 8 Shelton will play No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe, ensuring an American man will make the US Open final. The last American man to win a major title was Andy Roddick in 2003 when he won the US Open at 21.
Frances Tiafoe Rallies Past Alex Michelsen To Reach the Final Four at US Open
This will be Shelton’s third major semifinal, having reached the final four in the 2023 US Open and 2025 Australian Open.
“I’m tired,” said Shelton after the match to media. “That was a war, epic match, so physical.
“Yeah, 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.
“But, yeah, the most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career, for sure.”
“I returned really well,” Shelton said, which was his key to success in breaking Alcaraz’s serve. “I thought I was smart with how I went about my return games. I thought I made him play a lot.
“I thought I capitalized on him missing, like when he missed a spot, and I didn’t worry or stress too much when he hit his spot on a return-borne ace.
“I think for me to be able to hang in there in the rallies, have a game plan from the ground, and be able to execute that game plan and not be losing all the baseline points also helps with the return.”
“Well, the serve is a really good weapon in these kind of situations, but you know sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” said Alcaraz.
“I remember, yeah, the last tiebreak, you know, that I played, it was in Paris. It was an unbelievable game that I played in that moment.
“This time, I mean, when you are trying to fight and trying to overcome all the problems you might have physically, tired a lot, and obviously when, you know, he is serving, he puts a lot of pressure on you.
“You thinking about, all right, trying to put the return in. You know, it’s an unknown if you are going to play the point or if he’s going to get a free point with the serve. I think in these moments he takes a lot of advantage with the serve.
“Not any excuse, but I would say this is an important weapon in those moments.”
On Tuesday afternoon, Tiafoe rallied past American Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) on Tuesday.
Alcaraz had the record for the latest match finish before his match with Shelton when he beat Jannik Sinner in the 2022 quarterfinals, which finished at 2:50 a.m.
Alcaraz: “Well, as I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, you know, compete, play in these kind of matches for me being healthy.
“It was close. It was close. So I’m just not going to be disappointed about don’t getting the win at the end. You know, I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought.
“You know, after the third set, physically I was really tired, but you know, I found a way to push myself up and, you know, physically giving extra.
“In the fifth set I just started to feel better and better, but you know, I was playing against one of the — he is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just managed how to play really, really well in every situation, so credit to him.
“But, you know, I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
