Ben Shelton ended Carlos Alcaraz's US Open title defense in a five-set quarterfinal that finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in the tournament's history. Shelton won 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) after four hours and 28 minutes.
The match ended in the early hours of Wednesday morning in New York, with about 10,000 fans still in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The previous record for the tournament's latest finish was Alcaraz's 2:50 a.m. quarterfinal win over Jannik Sinner in 2022.
A first win over Alcaraz
Shelton had lost all three of his previous matches against Alcaraz. The eighth seed dropped a first-set tiebreak, then won the second and third sets. Alcaraz, the second seed and defending champion, stormed through the fourth set 6-1 to force a decider.
In the fifth set, both players held serve until the tiebreak, which Shelton closed out 10-7. The loss ended Alcaraz's run of 12 straight wins in five-set matches. Alcaraz was playing his second event since returning from a wrist injury that sidelined him for about four months.
An all-American semifinal
Shelton next faces Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed, who came from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6). Both men are chasing a first Grand Slam final. Shelton leads their head-to-head series 3-1.
Shelton, now 38-13 for the 2026 season, called the win the biggest of his career. Alcaraz, ranked No. 3 in the world, leaves New York having failed to defend the 1,600 ranking points he earned with last year's title.