Shelton Ousts Alcaraz in Latest US Open Match Ever — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Ben Shelton defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a 4-hour, 28-minute match that ended at 3:33 a.m. ET — the latest-finishing match in US Open history.
- Carlos Alcaraz saw his 18-match Grand Slam winning streak end in his first tournament back from a right wrist injury; he vomited before the final set but still forced a deciding tiebreaker.
- Shelton next faces No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe on Friday in the first Grand Slam semifinal between Black American men in the Open era, guaranteeing one will be the first Black American man in a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
- Shelton became the first American to beat a defending US Open champion in five sets since Pete Sampras downed Mats Wilander in 1989, closing out the win with a 146 mph serve.
- The men's draw continues a streak of 18 straight US Opens without a repeat champion — the second-longest in tournament history — since Roger Federer's five-peat ended in 2008.
- Shelton, a former national champion at Florida, is the lone former college player remaining in either singles draw; John McEnroe (1984 US Open, Stanford) was the last to win a major.
- Three of the four singles quarterfinals Tuesday went to match tiebreakers on a marathon day that began with Aryna Sabalenka edging Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova.
Why it matters: The U.S. is guaranteed a men's US Open finalist for the first time since Andy Roddick won in 2003, with the Shelton-Tiafoe semifinal marking the first Grand Slam meeting between Black American men in the Open era. Alcaraz, playing his first tournament back from a wrist injury, couldn't defend his title — extending an 18-US-Open streak without a repeat men's champion.
Ask SkimNews
