After a historic 4-hour and 28-minute matchup at the US Open on Tuesday night, former Florida standout Ben Shelton secured one of his biggest career wins yet.
From start to finish, this quarterfinal duel was a nail-biter. It had fans on the edge of their seats until 3:33 a.m. ET, setting the record for the latest finish in U.S. Open history.
No. 8 Shelton upset one of the most decorated tennis players of the decade, No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, in a five-set thriller at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.
The match began in Shelton’s favor, but as Alcaraz does best, he fought back to force a tiebreaker. In the second game of the tiebreaker set, both players displayed their freak athleticism and raw power. But, Shelton sent Alcaraz tumbling to the floor as he forced the Spaniard to backtrack for the ball.
Alcaraz eventually took the first step to victory, winning the set 7-6(5).
But Shelton continued to push, taking the second set 6-1. In that set, Shelton showed out with multiple 140-plus mph serves and powerful volleys. Shelton would ultimately record seven aces and had a streak of nine games in a row during the match.
In the third set, both men zipped around the court, chasing balls to stay alive. Throughout this set and the match as a whole, deuce points were rampant. There were games where it was advantage in, advantage out, and it kept going back and forth, each time followed by the roar of the crowd.
But, the American capitalized on his 70% win percentage on first serve, taking the third set 6-3. With victory within grasp, Shelton only needed one more set to advance to the U.S. Open semifinals just the second time in his career and first since 2023.
Alcaraz, one of the most decorated players in the world, wouldn't make it easy. He became the youngest men’s tennis player to win a Grand Slam title at just 19 years old. He dominated Shelton 6-1 in the fourth set, setting up a cinematic final frame.
Shelton’s play style throughout the match was one of near-constant change. One game, he would play far back on the baseline to return volleys and hoping his opponent's shots would not make it past the net. In others, he would occupy the service boxes, deliver soft chop shots, quick forehands and dangerous slams.
This arsenal of shots proved vital. In the final set, nearly every game went to deuce. Shelton rifled forehands and disrupted Alcaraz's flow. After Shelton took the 6-5 lead, both of the 23-year-olds played more conservatively, staying back behind the baseline and returning simple volleys.
After Alcaraz survived to force a fifth-set tiebreaker, Shelton secured the first point. From then on, it went back and forth, with leads switching at a snap.
As the former Gator went up 8-7 in the 10-point tiebreak, he secured the ninth point from an out-of-bounds shot from Alcaraz. And in typical Shelton fashion, he called the game with a 146 mph ace to win 7-6(7).
This victory marked the first time Carlos Alcaraz lost to an American opponent at a Grand Slam Tournament; before this match, he had been 13-0. Alcaraz had also yet to be defeated by a left-hander, going 14-0 prior to the late-night thriller.
Shelton will face fellow American, No. 11 Frances Tiafoe, on Friday in the U.S. Open semifinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York, at a later determined time.
Contact Ethan Feinberg at efeinberg@alligator.org. Follow him on X @thefeinline.
Ethan Feinberg is a senior sports journalism student in his third semester at The Alligator. He is currently the Fall 2026 men’s tennis reporter. Ethan enjoys watching and playing sports like football and basketball, working out, fishing, cooking and having a good laugh with his friends and family. His favorite sports teams are the New England Patriots, Miami Heat, Florida Panthers and the Miami Marlins. (Drake "Drake Maye" Maye is the GOAT.)
