Ben Shelton beats defending champ Carlos Alcaraz in U.S. Open match that ends after 3:30 a.m.

The Associated Press

· Posted: Sep 09, 2026 6:30 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Ben Shelton had gone toe-to-toe with Carlos Alcaraz for five exhausting sets and finally, at 3:33 a.m. ET Wednesday, came the chance to end the U.S. Open champion's title reign.

Shelton fired an ace at 146 m.p.h. — a ball that Alcaraz couldn't have gotten back even with fresh legs.

That gave Shelton a 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory in a marathon tussle that was the latest-finishing match in U.S. Open history.

"I'm tired. It was a war," Shelton said. "Carlos is one of the greatest champions of our sport. It was the most enjoyable match I've had in my career, for sure."

Alcaraz had his 18-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments end in a match that lasted 4 hours, 28 minutes. He fought deep into the night and early into the next morning in a bid to get his hands on the trophy again, battling back even as he vomited before the start of the final set.

Alcaraz started the year winning the Australian Open, but was playing his first tournament since April after returning from a right wrist injury.

"I'm leaving happy and my head held high," Alcaraz said. "The truth is, I wanted to win … but also our goal was to leave the tournament having played matches and staying healthy."

The U.S. Open craves its night matches and players love the energy the fans provide — even when a number of matches have already gone past 2 a.m. this year.

Thousands stayed to the end, with Arthur Ashe Stadium perhaps still one-third full for the finish. Shelton benefited from a home-crowd boost even against the popular Alcaraz, with fans chanting his name along with "USA! USA!"

"It's incredible," Shelton said. "I always say that this is the greatest sports city in the world; I say that this is the greatest stadium in the world. I'm just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don't have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours."

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Three of the four singles quarterfinals went to match tiebreakers on a marathon day, which started with Aryna Sabalenka edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova to keep her hopes alive of a third straight U.S. Open title.

Alcaraz had played in the previous latest finish at the U.S. Open when he outlasted Jannik Sinner in a match that finished at 2:50 a.m. in the 2022 quarterfinals, en route to his first Grand Slam title at 19.

Tiafoe storms back

Shelton, who won his second consecutive Canadian Open title last month, will next play No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe, who kept coming back until he had reached his third U.S. Open semifinal, beating Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6).

Shelton seized control by winning nine straight games from early in the second set until he had a 3-0 lead in the third.

Frances Tiafoe, of the United States, right, and Alex Michelsen, of the United States, embrace after Tiafoe won their five-set match during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open on Tuesday. (Yuki Iwamura/The Associated Press)

Alcaraz ran off four straight points in the tiebreaker to go ahead 5-3, but Shelton came back behind some of his powerful serves that can exceed 140 m.p.h., along with some mistakes from Alcaraz.

The Shelton-Tiafoe matchup guarantees a U.S. player will reach the men's final. The last Grand Slam title for an American man occurred in 2003, when Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open.

Tiafoe reached the U.S. Open semifinals in 2022 and it didn't initially appear he would be going back, as Michelsen continued his dominant run through his breakout tournament.

Michelsen won the first two sets and served with a 5-4 lead in the third, but couldn't finish it off. He hadn't lost a set in the tournament until Tiafoe stormed back.

Tiafoe said his performance to start the match was slow and flat.

"It wasn't good, let's put it that way. It wasn't good," he said. "Three out of five is a blessing, because you have time to get it together. I definitely waited for the last minute."

Michelsen, ranked No. 46, fell to 0-6 in matches that went to a fifth set.

It is also certain that a new U.S. Open's champion will be crowned, as none of Wednesday's quarterfinalists on the other side of the draw, led by top-ranked Alexander Zverev, has ever won the Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, N.Y.