US Open: Big-serving Ben Shelton stuns Carlos Alcaraz in 5-set thriller, reaches semis

It was 3:33 am in New York. Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz had produced one of the most memorable matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium. The men's singles quarterfinal lasted four hours and 28 minutes. Usually, at the end of these marathons, it is Alcaraz who has his hands up, gesturing to the crowd and celebrating with his team. This time, it was eighth seed Shelton soaking in the applause from the home crowd, which had stayed despite knowing most of them would have to head to work in a couple of hours.

The phone celebration was on as Shelton won the quarterfinal 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7). It was Shelton’s second US Open semifinal, three years after his breakthrough run to the last four in New York, and his first victory over a top-three player.

Epic is an understatement, as Shelton did to Alcaraz what the seven-time Grand Slam champion has to been doing to many in his career: Power, composure and pouncing on key moments.

When it came to the final-set tiebreak, Shelton was switched on, showing the ruthlessness that has defined his opponent's game for years. The two were on an even footing, but Shelton found another gear when it mattered most, grabbing the match by the collar and refusing to let go. He closed it out to book his place in the semifinals.

The crowd, Shelton said, was the difference-maker in a match that stretched past 3am.

"For me, it's always about the people in the crowd, whether it's my coaches and my team over there, all my family and friends over here. The city of New York, they showed up tonight till 3 a.m. With the USA chants until the very end, that's what kept me going, and that's what got me this win tonight," Shelton said after the win, trying to catch his breath as he spoke on court.

For Alcaraz, the defeat may have exposed the price of a long layoff. Returning from a wrist injury that had kept him out for more than four months, he appeared short of match practice as the five-set battle wore on. He even threw up on court, a sign that his body was not yet ready for the demands of five-set Grand Slam tennis.

Having arrived in New York without playing a tune-up event, Alcaraz found himself facing an inspired Shelton at perhaps the worst possible time.

A STATEMENT OF INTENT?

The 23-year-old Shelton has been there or thereabouts. He was not considered part of the Big Boys' Club despite being ranked in the top 10. There was never any doubting his potential, but he would often produce flashes of brilliance before disappearing when the pressure mounted.

Two Grand Slam semifinals felt inadequate in an era when Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are rewriting the rules of entry to the Big Boys' Club. But perhaps Tuesday was a marker, a marker of Shelton's ambitions.

He produced lights-out tennis for four hours and 28 minutes, finding ways to keep himself alive even when Alcaraz was playing Alcaraz-level tennis.

Shelton's big serves soared past 140 kph on the speed gun at will, while his power game was good enough to send Alcaraz packing. Not many players can do that.

After losing the opening set, Shelton raised his level, firing winners from the baseline and hitting even his second serves with venom. By the end of the third set, when he led 2-1, 38 percent of his second serves had gone unreturned. Against one of the best returners of the modern game, that was a statement in itself.

What was even more impressive was Shelton's ability to stay in the contest after dropping the fourth set 1-6. The southpaw put that disappointment behind him and started the fifth like a man ready for one final push.

He had a chance to seize a decisive advantage at 4-3, earning two break points on Alcaraz's serve, but could not convert either opportunity. It was another opening for the Spaniard to claw his way back into the contest. Usually, when you give Alcaraz that many chances, you pay for it. Shelton, however, refused to blink. He pushed the World No. 2 to his limits before closing the door in style.

Shelton will next face 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in an all-American semifinal on Friday. Tiafoe defeated compatriot Alex Michelsen in another five-setter earlier on Tuesday.

The possibility of an American winning the US Open men's singles title for the first time in 23 years now remains alive. Top seed Alexander Zverev, the only Grand Slam winner left in the other half of the draw, stands between that possibility and the final.