Alcaraz stunned by home favourite Shelton in latest ever US Open finish
Ben Shelton produced one of the finest wins of his career on Wednesday, upsetting defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling five set quarter final that finished at 3:33am local time, the latest conclusion to any match in US Open history.
The eighth seeded American came through 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 after four hours and 28 minutes of gruelling tennis under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium, sending the home crowd into raptures deep into the New York night.
The contest swung wildly from start to finish, with Shelton dropping the opener in a tie break before roaring back to claim the next two sets and put himself firmly in control heading into the middle stages of the match.
Alcaraz, however, refused to fade quietly, storming back to take the fourth set 6-1 and force a decisive fifth, setting up a tense finish that ultimately came down to a deciding tie break played out well past midnight.
The previous record for the latest finish in tournament history had also belonged to Alcaraz, who saved a match point against Jannik Sinner in a quarter final that finished at 2:50am exactly two years earlier, a win that eventually propelled him to his first US Open title.
This time there would be no similar escape for the Spaniard, who was playing in only his second tournament back from a wrist injury that had kept him sidelined for close to four months, forcing him to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon earlier this year.
Alcaraz had looked in ominous form throughout the fortnight, dropping just a single set on his way to the last eight while riding an 18 match winning streak at majors that included his US Open triumph last year and a title run at the Australian Open in January.
That victory in Melbourne had made him the youngest man in history to complete the career Grand Slam, and Tuesday's defeat brought an end to a remarkable personal run stretching back 19 matches, dating to his Wimbledon final loss to Sinner in mid 2025.
Reports from courtside suggested Alcaraz was battling significant physical discomfort as the match wore on, appearing to struggle with his wrist at various points and reportedly unwell during one of the changeovers as fatigue took hold late into the contest.
Shelton's win means an American is now guaranteed a place in the men's final for the first time since Andy Roddick lifted the trophy in New York back in 2003, adding further significance to an already dramatic night of tennis at Flushing Meadows.
The 23 year old now moves to 13 wins from his last 15 matches on North American hard courts, a stretch that also included a second career ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal earlier this summer, underlining his rapid rise through the current season.
Standing between Shelton and a first Grand Slam final will be fellow American and 11th seed Frances Tiafoe, with the pair meeting for the fourth time in their careers and Shelton currently holding a 3 1 advantage in the head to head series.
Two of their previous four encounters have come at this very tournament, with Shelton winning a quarter final meeting back in 2023 before Tiafoe gained revenge with a third round victory the following year at Flushing Meadows.
Alcaraz's exit leaves only two top ten seeds remaining in the bottom half of the men's draw, with top seed Alexander Zverev set to face Botic van de Zandschulp for a place in the semi finals later in the tournament.