The clock had crossed deep into Wednesday morning when Ben Shelton finally found the finish line.
At 3:33 a.m. in New York on September 9, the 23-year-old American completed a five-set upset of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, winning 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) to reach the U.S. Open semifinals. The four-hour, 28-minute contest was the latest-finishing match in tournament history, according to Reuters.
The result did more than end Alcaraz’s title defense. It created an all-American semifinal between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe, guaranteeing that a U.S. man will play for the championship in New York.
A match that began Tuesday and ended Wednesday
Shelton and Alcaraz walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium for an 11:05 p.m. start Tuesday. Their momentum shifted almost as dramatically as the time on the clock.
Alcaraz took a tight first-set tiebreak. Shelton answered by racing through the second set, then moved ahead by claiming the third. Alcaraz reversed the pressure with a dominant fourth, setting up a deciding set that remained level through 12 games.
In the final match tiebreak, Shelton won 10-7. The official U.S. Open men’s draw confirms the five-set score and the new Shelton-Tiafoe semifinal.
“That’s what kept me going, and that’s what got me this win tonight,” Shelton said of the crowd after the match, according to Reuters.
The margins were remarkably narrow
The upset was not simply a barrage of huge serves. Shelton hit seven aces to Alcaraz’s three and committed only two double faults, compared with seven for the Spaniard. But their first-serve effectiveness was nearly even: Shelton won 70% of first-serve points, while Alcaraz won 69%.
The clearest statistical difference came under pressure. Shelton saved eight of 11 break points and held in 20 of 23 service games. Alcaraz saved 11 of 16 break points and held in 19 of 24, according to the completed match statistics published by Tennis.com.
Alcaraz entered the quarterfinal with a 13-0 record against American men at Grand Slam tournaments. He was also trying to defend the title he won in New York in 2025. Instead, Shelton earned his first victory over Alcaraz after losing their previous three meetings.
An American finalist is now certain
The semifinal has an unusually powerful backdrop: American men have not produced a Grand Slam singles champion since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003.
Either Shelton or Tiafoe will get the next opportunity to end that drought.
Tiafoe’s route to the semifinal was nearly as dramatic. He recovered from two sets and a break down to defeat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(10-6), reaching the U.S. Open final four for the third time. Reuters reported that Michelsen served for the match in the third set before Tiafoe turned it around.
The matchup also revives a recent New York rivalry. Tiafoe defeated Shelton in five sets at the 2024 U.S. Open, but this meeting carries a larger prize: a place in the championship match.
The 3:33 a.m. finish becomes part of the story
The tennis was gripping, but the hour was impossible to ignore. The quarterfinal started after the preceding Tiafoe-Michelsen marathon and did not end until much of New York was asleep—or waking up.
The record finish is likely to renew scrutiny of late-night scheduling at Grand Slam events. A Guardian report noted fresh criticism of the timing after the match. For players, recovery time and competitive fairness become harder questions when a victory celebration begins after 3:30 in the morning.
For Shelton, though, the night ended with a breakthrough: the biggest victory of his career, the defending champion eliminated, and one more American standing directly between him and the U.S. Open final.
