Carlos Alcaraz is OUT of the US Open.
And the way it happened? Absolutely brutal.
Ben Shelton sent the defending champion crashing out of the tournament after surviving a four-hour, 28-minute five-set thriller that didn’t finish until 3:33 a.m. in New York.
Shelton eventually prevailed 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7), pulling off the biggest win of his career and booking his place in the US Open semifinals.
But this wasn’t just another five-set match.
This was one of those nights people are going to remember.
Alcaraz Started Strong — Then Everything Changed
Alcaraz looked like the player everyone expected to see at the start.
The defending champion took the opening set in a tight tiebreak, 7-5, putting himself in position to control the match.
Shelton had other ideas.
The American completely flipped the script in the second set, destroying Alcaraz’s momentum with a 6-1 win.
Then he did it again.
Shelton took the third set 6-3 and suddenly the defending champion was staring at elimination.
Alcaraz wasn’t ready to leave quietly.
He responded by taking the fourth set 6-1, forcing a deciding fifth set and sending Arthur Ashe Stadium into the kind of late-night madness that only the US Open can produce.
Then It Came Down to One Tiebreak
The fifth set couldn’t separate them.
After more than four hours of tennis, everything came down to a 10-point match tiebreak.
And Shelton kept his nerve.
He eventually pulled away to win 10-7, completing the upset and sending Alcaraz out of the tournament.
The victory also ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak.
For Shelton, this wasn’t just a win.
It was a statement.
3:33 A.M. — Seriously?
Here’s the part that’s going to make this match even more memorable.
The battle finished at 3:33 a.m., making it the latest-finishing match in US Open history according to Reuters.
The previous US Open record belonged to Alcaraz himself, whose 2022 quarterfinal against Jannik Sinner finished at 2:50 a.m.
This time, Alcaraz was on the other side of the history book.
And he wasn’t just beaten.
He was beaten after surviving one of the most physically demanding matches imaginable.
Alcaraz Was Clearly Feeling the Pressure
The Spaniard also appeared to struggle physically during the marathon.
Reuters reported that Alcaraz had difficulty with his accuracy and finished with 53 unforced errors, an unusually high number for one of the world’s best players.
There were also moments when he appeared visibly unwell during the match.
Still, Alcaraz fought all the way to the final point.
That makes Shelton’s victory even more impressive.
Now Shelton Has a Massive Opportunity
Shelton isn’t done.
Not even close.
He now faces fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal.
And that creates another incredible storyline.
An American man is guaranteed a place in the US Open final.
Tiafoe reached the semifinal after an equally wild comeback against Alex Michelsen, recovering from two sets down to win another five-set marathon.
So now we’ve got Shelton vs Tiafoe.
Two Americans.
One spot in the final.
And an entire country watching.
The United States has been waiting for another men’s Grand Slam champion for more than two decades. Now, one of Shelton or Tiafoe is just one victory away from reaching the US Open final.
Alcaraz Is Gone. Shelton Is Still Standing.
Carlos Alcaraz came to New York as the defending champion.
He’s leaving after one of the wildest nights of the tournament.
Ben Shelton?
He’s heading into the semifinal with arguably the biggest victory of his career.
And after surviving until 3:33 in the morning, nobody can accuse him of not earning it.
The question now is:
Can Shelton go all the way and win the US Open?
