A major surprise occurred at the 2026 US Open: defending champion and world number two player Carlos Alcaraz lost in the quarterfinals. Local favorite Ben Shelton defeated the Spanish star in a tense five-set match, securing his place in the semifinals.
The match took place at Arthur Ashe Stadium and lasted about four and a half hours. Shelton defeated Alcaraz with a score of 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7). The match concluded on Wednesday morning local time at 3:33.
The start of the meeting was very tense, as there was fierce competition between both athletes in the first set, which led to a tie-break. After losing the first set, the American player changed his tactics. He advanced his serve position forward and began hitting powerful forehands against Alcaraz. This change became evident in the second set, where Shelton gave the Spaniard no chance and won the set 6-1, regaining the advantage in the match.
The pressure on Alcaraz continued into the third set, which Shelton also won 6-3, maintaining momentum. At one point, it seemed that the defending champion Alcaraz was on the verge of being eliminated from the US Open. However, from that moment, the Spanish star made an impressive comeback.
In the fourth set, Alcaraz significantly increased the speed and aggressiveness of his baseline game. Shelton could not respond to his play. Alcaraz won the fourth set 6-1, sending the match into a decisive fifth set.
In the final set, both players fought fiercely. An important moment was that neither player could break the opponent's serve in the deciding set. After this, the match went to a tie-break. Both had a chance to make history, but Shelton demonstrated exceptional patience in critical moments. In the super tie-break, calculated for 0 points, the American player won 10-7, thereby knocking Alcaraz out of the tournament and recording one of the most significant victories of his career.
Alcaraz's loss is significant because he has recently been in excellent form at Grand Slams. After a four-month absence due to wrist injury, he confidently returned in 2026 and finished his Grand Slam career that same year. This setback at the US Open interrupted his streak of 19 Grand Slam victories. His previous Grand Slam defeat occurred in the Wimbledon 2025 final against Jannik Sinner.
After Alcaraz's elimination, Ben Shelton will now face his compatriot Francis Tiafoe in the semifinals. For Shelton, this will be his second US Open semifinal; he previously reached the quarterfinals at the Florida Open in 2023. With Alcaraz's exit from the men's tournament, only two top-10 players remain. Top seed Alexander Zverev is still competing for the title and is scheduled to meet Bocquet van de Zandschulp in the quarterfinals.
