There’s leaving it late, and then there’s what Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz just served up at the U.S. Open.
The American star ultimately outdueled the defending champion in the latest ever finish at the tournament, a thriller that didn’t finish until 3:33 a.m. in front of a raucous New York crowd.
The five-set victory takes Shelton to the semifinals, where he will face fellow American Francis Tiafoe.
That means there is guaranteed to be an American in Sunday’s final, hoping to end a drought that has seen no U.S. men’s player win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in New York in 2003.
Shelton, the No. 8 seed, ended Alcaraz’ 18-match winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments in a clash that lasted 4 hours, 28 minutes. At one point the Spaniard could be seen vomiting into a towel.
The grueling quarterfinal was played under the lights after a day of marathon contests at Flushing Meadows.
The highlight-filled match swung back and forth, with Shelton winning the second and third sets after losing the first on a tie break.
No. 2 seed Alcaraz, who missed most of the season with a wrist injury, won the fourth set 6-1 to set up a grueling final set.
The pair traded blows but ultimately couldn’t be separated until the final set tiebreaker, which Shelton won 10-7.
The epic now stands as the latest finish in the history of a tournament increasingly known for its overnight duels.
That honor had previously been held by another Alcaraz match, against his rival at the top of the sport Jannik Sinner, which finished at 2:50 a.m in the 2022 quarterfinals. That victory helped Alcaraz, then 19, on the way to his first U.S. Open title.
He’ll now set his sights on regaining the form that made him the sport’s leading light.
Three of Tuesday’s four singles quarterfinal matches went to match tiebreakers, the day starting with Aryna Sabalenka edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova to keep alive her hopes of a third straight U.S. title.
Tiafoe then outlasted fellow American Alex Michelsen, staging repeated comebacks to set up the semifinal with Shelton.
Thousands of fans stayed to the gripping end, with both Shelton and the popular showman Alcaraz enjoying loud support in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“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.”
