Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz was knocked out of the tournament following a thrilling five-set defeat against America’s Ben Shelton early on Thursday morning. The big-hitting Shelton claimed his first career win over Alcaraz, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7), ending the World No. 2’s hopes of retaining his title in his first tournament back after a four-month injury absence. Alcaraz looked rusty throughout the match, failing to reach shots he would usually cover. The long injury layoff clearly affected his sharpness on court, making the result less of a surprise despite going the full five sets.
The quarter-final clash on Arthur Ashe Stadium unfolded as a late-night classic, featuring massive momentum swings and high-octane tennis. Alcaraz struck first by edging out a tightly contested opening set in a tiebreak, but Shelton responded furiously. Pushing up his return positioning and landing blistering forehand winners, the American dominated the second set 6-1 before riding that wave of momentum to break early and claim the third set 6-3, putting the Spaniard firmly on the back foot.
Refusing to yield, Alcaraz raised his level in the fourth, firing precise shots from the baseline and speeding through the set 6-1 to force a decider. As the thriller pushed deep past 2:50 AM local time, the contest officially set the record for the latest finish in US Open history. The contest eventually finished at 3:33 AM in the morning.
Five sets of amazing.
What a show, Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz pic.twitter.com/n6Dyp2oeiT
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 9, 2026
The final set turned out to be as closely fought as the first, with neither player managing a break. The match headed into a high-stakes super tiebreak, where the tension inside the stadium reached its peak. In the end, Shelton held his nerve, closing out the tiebreak 10-7 to seal a monumental victory and advance to his second Grand Slam semi-final.
Driven by a partisan home crowd, Shelton’s relentless serving and fearless shot-making proved decisive when the match hung in the balance. While Alcaraz showed flashes of his trademark brilliance, his lack of match sharpness ultimately told against an opponent playing at the absolute peak of his powers.