Shelton Defeats Alcaraz in Record-Late US Open Match

Ben Shelton, the eighth seed, defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a four-hour, 28-minute U.S. Open quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in tournament history. Shelton won his first match against a top-three opponent, ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and advanced to his second U.S. Open semifinal against fellow American Frances Tiafoe, guaranteeing an American man a place in the final. Alcaraz had recently returned from a four-month layoff caused by a wrist injury and said he was proud of his effort and relieved to leave healthy. Shelton’s win strengthens his bid to end the United States’ men’s Grand Slam drought, which dates to Andy Roddick’s 2003 U.S. Open victory.