Ben Shelton from the United States defeated Carlos Alcaraz from Spain in a tense five-set quarterfinal match at the US Open. This match set a new record for the duration of a match completion at Flushing Meadows.
Shelton secured his first victory over Alcaraz with scores of 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7). This ended the Spaniard's hopes of retaining the title in his first tournament after a four-month absence due to injury.
The match lasted a grueling four hours and 28 minutes, surpassing the previous record for a match completion in New York, which was 2:50 AM when Alcaraz won his five-set quarterfinal match against Jannik Sinner in 2022.
Shelton matched his results from the US Open semifinal three years ago and advanced to the semi-finals, where he will face Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe managed to recover from a two-set deficit to defeat Alex Michelsen with scores of 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10/6).
This means that both Tiafoe and Shelton have a chance to become the first Americans to win the men's singles title at the US Open since 2003, when Andy Roddick won.
After the match, Shelton commented: 'It was a war, an epic, very physical match. Carlos is already one of the greatest champions in our sport at 23 years old. I always enjoy playing against him. Some things he does sometimes are just ridiculous—it is certainly the most enjoyable match of my career.'
Alcaraz looked optimistic, stating: 'It was close. It was close. So I won't be disappointed not to get the win in the end. I am just proud of how I fought. I leave the court smiling, healthy, and that is what I needed.'
Despite showing progress in the first four matches, Shelton ultimately proved too strong. Encouraged by the crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Shelton won nine consecutive games, combining the second and third sets, and took control of the game by exploiting Alcaraz's weakened serve and outplaying him in rallies that left him breathless.
Alcaraz managed to stop the decline by creating a break opportunity when Shelton served in the third set, but the American closed out the set. This showed that Alcaraz was far from exhausted, and he made a powerful comeback to win the fourth set in just 36 minutes.
The difference was minimal in the fifth set. Alcaraz had a chance to break at 2-2, then it was Shelton's turn at 4-3, but the match was destined for a long final—a deciding tie-break to 10 points, which Shelton closed out with an ace on match point.
The first three matches of the day also went to completion, so Alcaraz and Shelton only started the match after 11:00 PM, and both started very actively. Neither player faced a break point in the first 10 games, although Alcaraz experienced pressure from two consecutive double faults, which complicated his holding of the 4-4 score.
Shelton managed to stabilize the game, and Alcaraz earned his first held game at 5-5, then won the first break in the next game, forcing Shelton into a forehand error as the American felt the pressure at 0-40. This left the Spaniard serving for the set, but two errors early in the game were all Shelton needed to start. He broke to provoke a tie-break and took a 5-3 lead, but Alcaraz won the last four points and won the set after 61 minutes.
However, Alcaraz could not maintain the pace, and as Shelton's serving problems intensified, he gained momentum, securing two of his three breaks thanks to the Spaniard's double faults, including one on set point. Shelton noted: 'I knew my serve would only improve, and if I had already set up my return to break it, I thought my chances for the second set were good. As soon as I started gaining momentum in the second set, winning against him three times, it became much easier just to play and hit more freely.'