Ben Shelton stuns Carlos Alcaraz in record US Open marathon to reach semi-finals

Ben Shelton produced the biggest win of his career by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set epic at the US Open, reaching the semi-finals after the longest match in the tournament’s history.

The American prevailed 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a contest that lasted four hours and 28 minutes and finished at 03:33 local time in New York on Wednesday morning.

The match surpassed the previous US Open record, which had seen play continue until 02:50. Shelton’s victory also ended Alcaraz’s run of 18 consecutive wins in Grand Slam tournaments.

Alcaraz, one of the leading figures in world tennis and a seven-time Grand Slam champion, repeatedly made life difficult for Shelton at crucial moments. However, the American held his nerve in the decisive tie-break to secure a landmark victory.

Shelton will now face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semi-final. His progress means the United States is guaranteed a player in the men’s singles final.

The 22-year-old is attempting to reach the final of the US Open for the second successive year and continue a campaign that has become one of the tournament’s major stories. He will also be hoping to end a long wait for American success in the men’s Grand Slam game.

No American man has won one of the four major tournaments since Andy Roddick lifted the US Open trophy in 2003, defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero in the final.

Shelton’s victory also prevented Alcaraz from retaining his US Open title. No player has successfully won the championship in consecutive years since Roger Federer in 2008.

It was Shelton’s first victory over Alcaraz in four meetings. The Spaniard had won each of their previous three encounters, with their most recent meeting coming at Roland Garros in 2025.

The result represents a significant reversal in their head-to-head record and gives Shelton a chance to move within one win of a first Grand Slam final. He will meet Tiafoe in an all-American semi-final as the home crowd’s hopes build around the possibility of a first US Open men’s singles champion from the United States since Roddick’s triumph more than two decades ago.

Alcaraz had entered the match as one of the tournament’s headline players, but Shelton’s power, resilience and composure in the final-set tie-break carried him through a contest that stretched deep into the New York night.

With the victory, Shelton has taken another step towards completing one of the most notable runs of the tournament and ending the United States’ lengthy wait for a new men’s Grand Slam champion.