Young American Pulls Off Stunning U.S. Open Upset Over Defending Champion in the Middle of the Night
With chants of “USA! USA” ringing in his ears, American Ben Shelton pulled off a dramatic upset early Wednesday, defeating the defending U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz.
The match ended at 3:33 a.m., setting a U.S. Open record for the latest finish. The match began at 11 p.m., according to ESPN. Shelton won the tie-breaker 10-7 as fans roared their approval.
“It’s incredible,” Shelton, 23, said.
“I always say that this is the greatest sports city in the world, I say that this is the greatest stadium in the world. I’m just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don’t have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours.”
Shelton, seeded eighth, plays fellow American Frances Tiafoe, the 11th seed, in the semifinals.
Ben Shelton takes down Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set tiebreak to advance to the US Open semifinals!
It guarantees that an American will play in the US Open men’s final.
Match point was at 3:33 a.m. ET.
Chris Fowler and John McEnroe with the call for ESPN. 🎾🇺🇸🎙️ https://t.co/7Vq8wN9JTu pic.twitter.com/JutJNupcEn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 9, 2026
Alcaraz, the defending U.S. Open champion, was in the previous match that was the latest U.S. Open marathon, which ended at 2:50 a.m. in 2022.
“I’m tired. It was a war,” Shelton said. “Carlos is one of the greatest champions of our sport. It was the most enjoyable match I’ve had in my career, for sure.”
The tie-breaker ended after Shelton fired off a 146 mph serve.
Alcaraz was playing in his first tournament after suffering an injury to his right wrist.
“It was really close, so I was disappointed I didn’t get the win at the end,” Alcaraz said. “But I’m happy, I am proud of myself about how I fought. As I said, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself.”
As the clock strikes midnight, this might have been the point of the tournament.
Alcaraz and Shelton putting on a show at the US Open. pic.twitter.com/pXhPVBg6nn
— Jason Page (@TheBackPage) September 9, 2026
“I’m leaving happy and my head held high,” Alcaraz said. “The truth is I wanted to win… but also our goal was to leave the tournament having played matches and staying healthy.”
Shelton said the crowd kept him going.
“For me, it is always about the people in the crowd,” Shelton said, according to ATPtour.
“Whether it is my coaches or my team over there, all my friends and family, or even the city of New York that showed up tonight till 3 a.m. With the USA chants until the very end by the crowd, that’s what got me the win tonight,” he said.
“Epic match, so physical,” Shelton added.
As noted by Fox News, no American man has won a U.S. Open title since 2003, when Andy Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero.
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