Open quarter-finals at 3:34 a.m. Wednesday (September 9, 2026) local time, falling to Ben Shelton in an epic five-set thriller that broke the record for the latest finish ever at Flushing Meadows. Carlos Alcaraz tumbled out of the U.S.
It’s always fun being on the court against him. It’s ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes; it’s the most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career, for sure.” The big-hitting American claimed his first career win over Alcaraz, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7), ending the Spaniard’s hopes of retaining his title in his first tournament back after a four-month injury absence. “Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts against Ben Shelton of the United States during their men’s singles quarterfinal match | Photo Credit: Getty Images via AFP “That was a war, epic match, so physical,” Shelton said.
The margins in the fifth set were razor thin. That left the Spaniard to serve for the set, but two errors to start the game were all the opening Shelton needed. Alcaraz had a break chance at 2-2, then it was Shelton’s turn at 4-3, but the match was destined to go all the way, to a 10-point match tiebreak that Shelton capped with an ace on match point. Alcaraz put together his first love hold for 5-5 then grabbed the first break in the next game, forcing a forehand error from Shelton as the American was feeling the pressure at 0-40 down.
“I knew that my serve was only going to get better, and if I had already dialed in the return to the point that I could break him, I thought my chances were good to get that second set,” Shelton said. “Once I got rolling the second set, broke him three times in that set, it was a lot easier to just play and swing more freely.”