Shelton beats Alcaraz in late-night epic to reach semis

Ben Shelton secured a dramatic five-set quarter-final victory over Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open, reaching the semi-finals in a late-night epic that concluded at 03:34 local time. The match, which lasted four hours and 28 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium, began around 11pm after a delay due to earlier night matches. Shelton, who had never beaten a top-three player before this encounter, had lost all three of his previous matches against Alcaraz.

The eighth-seeded Shelton's impressive win, marked by his 7-6 (5-7) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6 (10-7) triumph, was the biggest win of the 23-year-old's career and provided a major boost to home hopes of securing a first American men's singles champion in New York since 2003. Alcaraz, competing in his first tournament since recovering from a wrist injury, had shown signs of strength on his return, including a straight-sets victory over 20th seed Tommy Paul.

However, his lack of match fitness seemed to hinder him in this high-octane contest, which featured intense exchanges and extraordinary athleticism. Even when it seemed Alcaraz had given it his all, he still had to force a deciding set and endured a tense 10-point match tie-break, providing a fitting finale to the memorable match.