At 3:33 a.m. Wednesday, beneath the Arthur Ashe Stadium lights and before a crowd willing to sacrifice both sleep and the following morning, Ben Shelton finally released four hours of pent-up emotion.
He clenched his fists, screamed in celebration and could barely contain the magnitude of the moment.
After walking to his box and roaring once more, Shelton had every reason to celebrate. He had just won the most important match of his career and kept alive the American men’s pursuit of a U.S. Open title.
At 23, Shelton could be emerging as American men’s tennis’ leading figure, a role that has remained largely vacant since Andy Roddick retired.
Shelton, seeded eighth, defeated two-time U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7) in four hours and 28 minutes. Alcaraz, a seven-time major winner, had surrendered only one set in his first four matches of the 2026 tournament.
Shelton will face Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semifinal after Tiafoe won his own marathon quarterfinal on Arthur Ashe Stadium earlier.
The matchup guarantees an American man a place in the U.S. Open final for the second time in three years and only the third time in two decades.
Shelton may also represent the United States’ strongest opportunity in 23 years to end its men’s Grand Slam singles title drought, which dates to Roddick’s victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 U.S. Open final.
“For me it’s always about the people in the crowd,” Shelton said during an on-court interview. “Whether it’s my team over there, my family and friends over here, every single New Yorker showing up here tonight at 3 am with the USA chants until the very end.”
The Florida native looked completely at home on tennis’ biggest New York stage. Shelton combined emotion with sharp shot-making, energized the crowd and defeated Alcaraz without appearing to depend heavily on his 140-mph serve.
He defended the baseline brilliantly, seized control during return games and approached the net at precisely the right moments.
Through one extraordinary rally after another, Shelton matched—and often surpassed—the intensity of a player widely considered the best in the world.
Even with that complete performance, Shelton needed five demanding sets and every ounce of his remaining energy to secure victory.
With both players holding serve in the fifth set, play moved past 2:50 a.m., making this the latest-finishing match in U.S. Open history.
The clock reached 3 a.m. while Alcaraz served at 3-4. After the Spaniard saved three break points and roared into the night, the match surpassed four hours. By then, the remaining spectators had little reason to leave after investing so much of the night.
Both players continued to hold serve, sending the deciding set to a 10-point tiebreak. A marathon ending seemed inevitable.
Shelton raced to a 3-1 lead before losing four straight points and surrendering control of the tiebreak.
He regained the advantage with a powerful service winner at 6-all, then took an 8-6 lead when an Alcaraz backhand flew long. After losing the next point, Shelton prepared to serve for the match at 8-7 as the stadium braced for a decisive finish.
Alcaraz pushed a return wide, leaving Shelton with a 9-7 lead and two match points.
Shelton converted the first, firing an ace to end one of the most memorable matches ever played at the U.S. Open.
From the opening set, the match appeared destined for a dramatic conclusion.
Carlos Alcaraz during their quarterfinals match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. JASON SZENES FOR NEW YORK POST
With the first set tied at 5-5, Shelton briefly lost his serve before breaking Alcaraz back. He then led their tiebreak 5-3 but dropped four consecutive points and lost the set.
Shelton quickly recovered. After failing to convert four break points in the opening game of the second set, he won nine consecutive games, overwhelming an increasingly frustrated Alcaraz. Shelton took the set 6-1, moved 3-0 ahead in the third and closed it out 6-3.
Against nearly any other opponent, Shelton’s dominance through the second and third sets might have ended the match in four. Alcaraz, however, rallied decisively and cruised through the fourth set 6-1, ensuring another deciding set.
In the end, a match of that quality could hardly have concluded any other way.
Following generations of American stars from Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe through Michael Chang, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Roddick—and a long wait for another leading figure—Shelton may have announced himself as the next face of men’s tennis in the United States.
“It’s incredible,” Shelton said. “I would say this is the greatest sports city in the world, I would say this is at the greatest stadium in the world. I’m just hoping my best friend and my sister up there don’t have to be at work at 6 am in three hours.”
