Ben Shelton has come of age as a grand slam contender.
Early on Wednesday morning, after four hours and 28 minutes of electrifying theatre in Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 23-year-old American ended Carlos Alcaraz’s reign as US Open champion with a thrilling 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) quarter-final victory in which he elevated his game to new heights.
Punctuated by a 146mph ace at 3.33am, the finest win of Shelton’s career also marked the tournament’s latest ever finish.
Shelton has twice before reached a major semi-final, but never by going through a player of Alcaraz’s stature. While it was no surprise to see him match the Spanish second seed for firepower and athleticism, the conviction and composure he showed at the death, when Alcaraz opened up a 5-3 lead in the decisive tiebreak, have not always been apparent against the very best. Likewise the patience, rally tolerance and impressive returning that laid the foundations for the win. It was a night – and early morning – when everything came together for Shelton.
Ben Shelton hails ‘epic match’ against Carlos Alcaraz
“That was a war, an epic match,” he said of his first success in 18 attempts against a top-three player. “I thought I was smart with how I went about my return games. I thought I made him play a lot. I thought I capitalised when he missed his spot, and didn’t worry or stress too much when he did hit his spot.
“I think for me to be able to hang in there in the rallies, have a game plan from the ground, and be able to execute that game plan and not be losing all the baseline points, also helps with the return.”
Infamously, no US player has won a major since Andy Roddick triumphed at Flushing Meadows in 2003. Shelton’s victory sets up a meeting with Frances Tiafoe, his fellow countryman and close friend, meaning there is guaranteed to be an American presence in the final. With Alcaraz out and the injured Jannik Sinner absent, the trajectory of American men’s tennis could finally be about to change.
Yet the wider context will have been the last thing on Shelton’s mind as he completed an unforgettable night’s work with dawn beckoning. In defeating Alcaraz for the first time in four meetings, he became only the second man in 17 attempts to get the better of the Spanish maestro in a fifth set, a distinction he shares with Matteo Berrettini, who achieved the feat at the 2022 Australian Open.
How Alcaraz was undone after early brilliance
That statistic says everything you need to know about the ability of Alcaraz to meet the moment. But after four and a half months out with a wrist injury, perhaps the real surprise was that he remained in contention so long. The 23-year-old made his way to the last eight without dropping a set, comfortably navigating a potentially tricky opener against the experienced Roman Safiullin and a fourth-round assignment against the 20th-seeded Tommy Paul. In Shelton, however, he faced a challenge of a different order.
That much was apparent from an opener that began with the pair trading heavy blows and ended with an exchange of breaks and mistakes. Alcaraz looked to have seized the advantage when he punished a slight dropoff from Shelton at 5-5, but some wayward hitting off the forehand skewered his hopes of serving out the set. When the American gained the early edge in the ensuing tiebreak, hammering away an overhead to conclude a lung-busting, sinew-stretching rally in which both men explored the full geometry of the court, it seemed he might ride the reprieve all the way to a winning start. Instead, Alcaraz produced a trademark flurry of brilliance, producing two blazing forehand winners to bring up a set point that he converted following another display of acrobatic excellence from both men.
At that point, a familiar narrative looked to be unfolding. But for once, understandably after so long on the sidelines, Alcaraz was unable to sustain the magic. Instead, his form dropped off a cliff. The second set went by in a blizzard of unforced errors. The third was only marginally more competitive. By the fourth, Alcaraz was shooing away a cameraman before vomiting into a towel. The champion looked out on his feet.
Alcaraz ‘happy and proud’ with performance
But whatever his extended break from the game may have cost Alcaraz in terms of fluency and match fitness, his fighting spirit remains very much intact. Having fended off a break point at the start of the fourth set, the Spaniard broke for 2-0 and suddenly looked revitalised. As the clock ticked past 2.20am, he levelled the contest with a love hold. The record for the tournament’s latest finish, set by Alcaraz and Sinner in another five-set classic in the 2022 quarter-finals, was in obvious danger.
So it proved, and while Alcaraz was ultimately unable to prevail over the long haul as he had done on that occasion, it did not prevent him from congratulating Shelton with the broadest of smiles when it was all over. Despite committing 53 unforced errors and losing his grip on the trophy, he had got what he came to New York for: a return to the sport he loves, and confirmation that he is once again healthy. For now, that was enough.
“I’m just not going to be disappointed about not getting the win at the end,” said Alcaraz. “I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought. After the third set, physically I was really tired. But I found a way to push myself up, and physically give extra.
“I was playing against one of the best. He is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just managed to play really, really well in every situation, so credit to him. I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
What Shelton needed, as the sound of beeping garbage trucks doing their early morning rounds echoed around Arthur Ashe Stadium, was some sleep.