Ben Shelton Beat Carlos Alcaraz At 3:33 AM In The Latest Finish In US Open History
Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz played until 3:33 AM at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, the latest finish in US Open history, topping the 2:50 AM record set by Alcaraz himself when he beat Sinner in 2022, and when it was finally over, Shelton had beaten a top-3 player for the first time in his career.
The 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) quarterfinal took four hours and 28 minutes. Alcaraz took the first set in a tiebreak, Shelton stormed back to take the next two, Alcaraz leveled it, and the fifth set went the distance before Shelton won the decisive tiebreak 10-7.
Thousands of fans who had stayed through the night were rewarded. "It was a war," Shelton said.
He was 0-3 against Alcaraz going in and 0-17 against top-3 opponents overall. He won with 34 winners and 35 unforced errors.
Alcaraz, who returned from a wrist injury this tournament after missing Wimbledon and the French Open, was gracious. "Shelton played a very complete, very mature match. He knew exactly what to do at every moment. And, physically, he's a beast."
Shelton now faces Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals, meaning an American man is guaranteed to be in the US Open final for the first time since Andy Roddick won the title in 2003.
