Ben Shelton Ends Carlos Alcaraz's US Open Defense in Five-Set Thriller

Ben Shelton knocked defending champion Carlos Alcaraz out of the US Open with a five-set quarterfinal victory that ended at 3:34 a.m. local time in New York. Shelton won 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) after four hours and 28 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, according to reports from El País and Cadena SER and match data published by Tennis.com.

Watch the highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nivYW_8GJLs

Alcaraz claimed a tight opening set in a tiebreak after the players traded late service breaks. Shelton responded decisively, taking the second set 6-1 and the third 6-3 to move within one set of the semifinals. The American broke Alcaraz five times across the match, converting five of his 16 opportunities.

The momentum shifted again in the fourth set. Alcaraz broke Shelton twice and conceded only one game, forcing a deciding set after appearing in danger of a quarterfinal exit. Neither player secured a break in the fifth, sending the match to a first-to-10 final-set tiebreak. Shelton took it 10-7 to complete the upset.

The match statistics underline how narrow the contest became. Tennis.com recorded Shelton winning 103 of 156 service points and Alcaraz taking 109 of 172. Shelton landed 67 percent of his first serves, won 70 percent of those points and saved eight of 11 break points. Alcaraz saved 11 of 16 break points but committed seven double faults to Shelton's two.

The result was Shelton's first victory over Alcaraz. The eighth seed had lost their three previous meetings, including a four-set encounter at the 2025 French Open. Alcaraz entered the New York quarterfinal as the second seed and reigning champion, but his title defense ended in his first tournament after a four-and-a-half-month absence caused by a wrist injury, El País reported.

Shelton will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Friday's semifinal. Tiafoe advanced earlier by coming from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen in another five-set quarterfinal. That result guarantees an American finalist in the men's singles draw, while Shelton moves on after the latest finish in US Open history, as reported by BBC Sport.