Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton marathon match sets new record in US Open history
(Courtesy : Getty Images)
Both trade haymakers until the American finally landed the last blow at 3:33 AM
There is leaving it late, and there is whatever this was. USA’s Ben Shelton and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz of Spain did not so much finish a tennis match in the small hours of Wednesday morning as survive one, trading haymakers until the American finally landed the last blow at 3:33 AM, the latest a match has ever ended at the US Open.
Shelton won it 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) after four hours and 28 minutes that felt closer to a heavyweight title fight than a quarter-final, closing the show with a 146mph ace that barely gave Alcaraz time to react.
Close to 24,000 fans packed Arthur Ashe Stadium when the first ball was struck at 11.05 PM, and thousands remained to see it out, chanting Shelton’s name into the early hours while ground staff outside prepared for the next day’s play.
Alcaraz had walked in as the defending champion riding an 18-match winning streak at majors, a run built on last year’s US Open title and this year’s Australian Open crown, which made him the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam.
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That streak is gone now, and so — for a night at least — was the version of Alcaraz who looks unbeatable. Playing his first tournament since a wrist injury sidelined him for nearly four months, he drifted through a ragged second set with 17 unforced errors to just eight winners, and at times deep into the match, he looked like a man running on fumes rather than adrenaline.
Yet this was Alcaraz, so nothing stayed simple for long. He hauled himself back with a stunning fourth set, breaking Shelton twice, before both men walked into a decider that had no interest in ending quickly.
How Shelton and Alcaraz broke the record for tennis’s latest finish
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The previous record for the latest finish in US Open history also had Alcaraz’s fingerprints on it — a 2022 quarter-final against Jannik Sinner that ended at 2:50 AM and helped launch the Spaniard to his first Grand Slam title at just 19.
This time the clock kept climbing well past that mark, the match ticking over into record territory at 2.51 AM as Shelton, given three separate break-point chances to move within touching distance of closing it out, could not put the match away until a tenth-point tiebreak finally forced the issue.
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Shelton struck 34 winners to Alcaraz’s 38, but it was the 53 unforced errors leaking from the Spaniard’s racket, against just 34 from Shelton, that decided a match neither man deserved to lose.
“That was a war. Epic match. So physical,” Shelton said after the match. “Carlos, one of the greatest champions in our sport, already at 23 years old. It’s always fun. The most enjoyable match I’ve had in my career.”
Shelton credited the crowd and the city of New York for the incredible atmosphere during the match.
“I always say this is the greatest sports city in the world, the greatest stadium in the world,” Shelton continued. “For me, it’s always about the people in the crowd. Whether it’s my coaches and my team over there or my family and friends over here.”
“Or the city of New York that showed up tonight until 3 AM, with the ‘U-S-A’ chants until the very end. That’s what kept me going, and that’s what got me this win tonight.”
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Shelton sets date with Frances Tiafoe
Shelton now meets fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semi-final, guaranteeing a US man a place in Sunday’s final.
It will be the first time an American man has reached that final since Taylor Fritz lost to Jannik Sinner in 2024, and the country is still waiting for its first champion since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Shelton leads the head-to-head with Tiafoe 3-1 and climbs to No. 4 in the live rankings, a career high still within reach depending on how far this run goes.
When did the Alcaraz vs Shelton US Open match finish, and why is it a record?
The match ended at 3.33 AM on Wednesday, making it the latest finish in US Open history. It beat the previous mark by 43 minutes, a record also held by Alcaraz after his 2022 quarter-final against Jannik Sinner finished at 2.50 AM.
What was the final score between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz?
Shelton won 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) after four hours and 28 minutes, sealing the match with a 146mph ace in a tenth-point tie-break.
Who does Ben Shelton play next, and what does the win mean for American tennis?
Shelton faces fellow American Frances Tiafoe in Friday’s semi-final, guaranteeing a US man a place in Sunday’s final for the first time since Taylor Fritz lost the 2024 final to Jannik Sinner. Andy Roddick, in 2003, remains the last American man to actually win the title.
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