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, who hit a 146-mph ace, earned his first victory over Alcaraz in four meetings, ended the Spaniard’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and advanced to his second U.S. Open semifinal. Alcaraz, returning from a four-month wrist-injury layoff, said he was proud of his performance and praised Shelton. Shelton will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in a historic semifinal between the first two Black men to meet in a Grand Slam singles match; the winner will become the first Black man to reach the U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, guaranteeing an American man a place in the final. The late scheduling drew criticism from Alcaraz’s trainer Alberto Lledo and Martina Navratilova, while Shelton’s run continued the United States’ effort to end its men’s Grand Slam drought dating to Andy Roddick’s 2003 U.S. Open victory.