Ben Shelton snaps Carlos Alcaraz's 18-match Grand Slam unbeaten streak at US Open 2026 in 4-hour, 28-minute thriller

Ben Shelton registered his biggest win of the career when the local favourite defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set thriller at the US Open 2026 quarterfinal on Wednesday to snap the Spaniard's 18-game unbeaten streak in the Grand Slams.

Since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final in 2025, Alcaraz didn't lose a single match en route to the 2025 US Open and the 2026 Australian Open titles. But against the eighth-seed Shelton, Alcaraz, who was coming after a four-month break from tennis due to injury, went down fighting.

The world no.3 Alcaraz tumbled out of the US Open 2026 quarterfinals at 3:34 AM, in an epic five-set thriller that broke the record for the latest finish ever at Flushing Meadows. The big-hitting Shelton claimed his first career win over Alcaraz, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7), in a match that went for four hours and 28 minutes. Shelton will next play No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe.

Earlier, Tiafoe reached his third US Open semifinal, beating Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10-6) on Tuesday. The United States is guaranteed to have a man in Sunday's final as it seeks its first men's major title since Andy Roddick in 2003.

What happened in Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton?

Alcaraz arrived at Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 13-0 Grand Slam record against American men but found Shelton tough to break down in a match that began at 11:05 PM (local time) on Tuesday. The Spaniard clinched a tight first-set tiebreak and looked to have all the momentum.

However, some uncharacteristic sloppiness from the defending champion allowed him to breeze through the next set before the American tightened his grip on the quarterfinal by taking the third. Alcaraz looked flat and made far too many unforced errors on his forehand, but still managed to force a deciding set amid roars from the delighted fans.

Alcaraz vomited into a towel during the break but went toe-to-toe with Shelton for 12 games before his opponent closed out the shock win. Alcaraz had played in the previous latest finish at the US Open when he outlasted Jannik Sinner in a match that finished at 2:50 AM in the 2022 quarterfinals.

What did Ben Shelton say after the win?

Thousands of fans stayed to the end and Shelton benefited from a home-crowd boost even against the popular Alcaraz, with fans in Arthur Ashe Stadium chanting his name along with “USA! USA!”

“It’s incredible," Shelton 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 AM in three hours.”