Ben Shelton pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the 2026 US Open on Tuesday, September 8, defeating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller to reach the semifinals at Flushing Meadows.
The American eighth seed prevailed 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a match that lasted four hours and 28 minutes, with both players producing a dramatic series of momentum swings before Shelton finally sealed the win in the deciding tiebreak.
Alcaraz started strongly, taking a closely contested opening set in a tiebreak. Shelton responded immediately, however, raising his level to take the second and third sets with aggressive baseline play and a powerful serve.
The Spaniard fought back in the fourth set, breaking Shelton three times to force a decider. Alcaraz continued to battle despite struggling physically during the match, but Shelton held his nerve when it mattered most, taking the final-set tiebreak 10-7.
Shelton’s serving was one of the key features of the match. The American produced 54 unreturned serves and repeatedly put Alcaraz under pressure with his pace and power. He also finished with fewer unforced errors, 35 compared with 53 for Alcaraz.
The victory marks Shelton’s first win over a top-three opponent and sends him into his second US Open semifinal, three years after reaching the last four in New York in 2023. It also ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak.
Shelton will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals on Friday, September 11. Tiafoe reached the last four after coming back from two sets down to defeat Alex Michelsen in another five-set battle.
The other half of the men’s draw will be decided on Wednesday, September 9, when top seed Alexander Zverev takes on Botic van de Zandschulp, while Karen Khachanov faces Belgian Alexander Blockx. The two winners will meet for a place in the final.
