NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, September 9, 2026 (by Michael Dickens)
American Ben Shelton put a wrap on an extraordinary day and night of US Open action on Arthur Ashe Stadium after he shocked defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the latest finish in tournament history, 3:33 a.m., decided by a final-set match tie-break.
For the record, the World No. 9 Shelton defeated World No. 3 Alcaraz, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7), in four hours and 28 minutes to advance to Friday’s semifinal round against fellow American Frances Tiafoe. It was the defining win in Shelton’s career – biggest by PIF ATP Ranking. Meanwhile, the loss ended an 18-match winning streak in majors for Alcaraz.
Earlier Tuesday, the No. 11-seed Tiafoe rallied from two-sets-to-none down against No. 46 Alex Michelsen and won 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6), in four hours and 39 minutes to reach his third US Open semifinal. Coupled with Shelton’s victory, it ensures there will be an American playing in Sunday’s US Open men’s singles final.
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When the eighth-seeded Shelton secured match point against No. 3 seed Alcaraz at 3:33 a.m., sealed with a 146 mile-per-hour service ace, the finish time had easily surpassed the precious US Open record for latest finish of 2:50 a.m., set by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner set on September 8, 2022 in a quarterfinal match.
Shelton (38-13) finished the quarterfinal epic with 34 winners to 35 unforced errors, won 66 percent (73 of 105) of his first-serve points, hit seven aces and converted five of 16 break points. He outpointed Alcaraz 169-164. By comparison, Alcaraz won 69 percent (77 of 112) of his first-serve points, hit 38 winners – including three aces – and made 53 unforced errors. He broke Shelton three times in 11 tries.
Ben’s moment 😤 pic.twitter.com/qnojmzvmqr
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026
Because the end of the Tiafoe-Michelsen spilled over into the start of the Arthur Ashe Stadium night session, ending at 7:06 p.m., it delayed the start of the women’s quarterfinal match between No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula and No. 26 seed Emma Navarro by about 75 minutes to 8:15 p.m. The Pegula-Navarro tussle that was won by the American No. 1 Pegula, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3, stretched across two hours and 21 minutes and finished at 10:43 p.m. local time. Thus, it was about 11:05 p.m., when Shelton and Alcaraz finally began to do battle. Arthur Ashe Stadium was filled with nearly 24,000 tennis-hungry fans. There was a buzz in the air. Little did anyone realize what was in store for the rest of the night and early morning.
After the 23-year-old Alcaraz rallied from a flat display that put him behind two-sets-to-one, he and Shelton found themselves tied 6-all in the deciding set. Soon, Shelton rallied from down 3-5 in the first-to-10 deciding-set tie-break. The American lefty rode the home support to victory.
Five sets of amazing.
What a show, Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz 👏 pic.twitter.com/n6Dyp2oeiT
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026
Despite losing, Alcaraz cracked a smile, shared a warm embrace with Shelton at the net, and seemed upbeat as he walked off the court to a standing ovation. He had just come through five Grand Slam matches in his comeback – losing just one set – following a four-month respite while dealing with a right-wrist injury.
Carlos, it was great to have you back and can’t wait to see you again! 💙 pic.twitter.com/z2GE2w5vI9
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026
The 23-year-old Shelton improved to 13-2 in this year’s North American hard-court swing, including a big win at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Montreal last month. He’s through to his second US Open semifinal following his 2023 run.
While Shelton easily shows a lot of excitement after big wins – especially US Open victories on Arthur Ashe Stadium – he was quite pumped by his upset victory over Alcaraz. Shelton celebrated with his team after the triumph. He was quite happy when it was time to speak to the crowd during his on-court interview.
Ben Shelton scores the biggest win of his career and a spot in the US Open semifinals! pic.twitter.com/2PCndRLcpL
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026
“It’s always about the people in the crowd, whether it’s my coaches and my team over there, all my family and friends over here, or the city of New York,” Shelton said. “They showed up tonight till 3 a.m. with the USA chants until the very end; that’s what kept me going, and that’s what got me this win tonight. …
“It’s incredible. I always say [New York] is the greatest sports city in the world and this is the greatest [tennis] stadium in the world.
“I’m just hoping my best friend and my sister over there don’t have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours. It’d be huge from their employers to let them have the day off today!
“I’m just so grateful, so blessed … sharing the court with Carlos is an absolute honor, and I cherish every moment I have out here.”
All the credit to the crowd from Ben 🫶 pic.twitter.com/AZ53MfaD3d
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026
Wednesday’s US Open order of play
By the numbers
The 3:33 a.m. finish to the Ben Shelton-Carlos Alcaraz quarterfinal is the latest in US Open tournament history. It surpasses the previous record of 2:50 a.m., set by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in a 2022 quarterfinal-round match.
“Quotable …”
“Epic match, so physical. Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old. It’s always fun being on the court against him. It’s ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes. But the most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career, for sure.”
– No. 8 seed Ben Shelton of the United States, during his post-match news conference, following his five-set quarterfinal upset of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
“It was close, it was close. I’m just not going to be disappointed about [not] getting the win at the end. I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought. … I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
– Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, during his post-match meeting with reporters.
