Shelton Beats Alcaraz to Reach US Open Semifinals at 3:33 AM

"Big server" Ben Shelton (9th, USA) defeated world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) deep in the night to reach the semifinals of the 2026 US Open (total prize money $108 million).

Shelton overcame Alcaraz 3-2 (6-7<5-7> 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6<10-7>) in a thrilling five-set quarterfinal that lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes on the 10th day of the tournament at Flushing Meadows in New York, USA, on the 8th (local time).

Because previous matches ran late, the match started at around 11:05 PM and concluded well past midnight at 3:33 AM.

It was recorded as the latest-finishing match in US Open history.

The previous record was set at 2:50 AM during the men's singles quarterfinals at the 2022 tournament, in a match between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner (1st, Italy).

Shelton matched Alcaraz with powerful shots and serves touching 230 km/h.

Even into the fifth-set tiebreak, Shelton's shots remained potent.

Shelton took the momentum by pulling ahead 8-6, fueled by a point set up by a 235 km/h serve and an unforced error from Alcaraz.

Securing match point with a serve too powerful for Alcaraz to handle, he flashed a confident smile and pumped his fist.

This marks the third time the 23-year-old Shelton has reached a major semifinal, following the 2023 US Open and the 2025 Australian Open.

Shelton has never advanced to a final.

This is Shelton's first victory against an opponent ranked in the world's top three.

Alcaraz, last year's tournament champion, failed to secure back-to-back titles and his third career championship.

He also delayed his opportunity to widen the gap with Sinner, with whom he has been competing for major titles.
 
Alcaraz has lifted two more major trophies than Sinner (5), who did not participate in this tournament due to a knee injury.

Alcaraz returned from a wrist injury after four months through this tournament.

Shelton will compete for a spot in the final against Frances Tiafoe (12th, USA), who mounted a comeback victory against Alex Michelsen (46th) 3-2 (5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6<10-6>) in the quarterfinals.

With an all-American semifinal matchup set, the possibility of an American men's singles champion for the first time in 23 years since Andy Roddick (now retired) in the 2003 tournament has grown stronger.

In their head-to-head record, Shelton leads Tiafoe with 3 wins and 1 loss.

In the women's singles, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) continued her pursuit of a third consecutive title by defeating this year's Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova (6th, Czech Republic) 2-1 (7-6<7-1> 3-6 7-6<10-7>).

Facing elimination after dropping her service game in the third set to fall behind 2-4, Sabalenka tried switching racquets to find her rhythm and ultimately clinched match point with an ace in the tiebreak.

Sabalenka, bidding to become the first woman to win three straight US Open titles since Serena Williams (2012–2014, USA) 12 years ago, will face Jessica Pegula (3rd, USA), who advanced by defeating Emma Navarro (27th, USA) 2-1 (3-6 6-4 6-3).

Sabalenka defeated Pegula consecutively in the 2004 [sic] tournament final and last year's semifinals.

In last year's encounter, she bounced back after dropping the first set.

While Sabalenka leads their overall head-to-head record with 9 wins and 4 losses, Pegula won their most recent encounter 2-1 in the semifinals of the Berlin Open this year.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.