ATLANTA — Atlanta-born Ben Shelton pulled off the biggest win of his career early Wednesday morning, knocking off defending U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:30 a.m. and became the latest-finishing match in tournament history.
Shelton outlasted the second-seeded Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a marathon match that lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes.
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The 23-year-old sealed the victory with a 146 mph ace that Alcaraz had no chance to return.
“I’m tired. It was a war,” Shelton said after the match. “Carlos is one of the greatest champions of our sport. It was the most enjoyable match I’ve had in my career, for sure.”
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The loss snapped Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak as the Spaniard fell short in his bid to repeat as U.S. Open champion.
“I mean it was close, it was really close, so I was disappointed I didn’t get the win at the end,” Alcaraz said. “But I’m happy, I am proud of myself about how I fought.”
Shelton now advances to an all-American semifinal against No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe, who rallied from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6).
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The matchup guarantees an American man will play for the U.S. Open title on Sunday as the United States looks for its first men’s Grand Slam singles championship since Andy Roddick won the tournament in 2003.
Alcaraz was also part of the previous latest finish in U.S. Open history, when his 2022 quarterfinal victory over Jannik Sinner ended at 2:50 a.m.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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