Ben Shelton stuns Alcaraz in US Open quarterfinal thriller

The men's singles quarterfinals at the 2026 US Open produced a shock result. World number three Carlos Alcaraz was beaten by eighth-ranked American Ben Shelton. The match lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes and went the distance to a fifth and deciding set.

Shelton defeated defending champion Alcaraz 6-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6, winning the deciding tiebreak 10-7. With this loss, Alcaraz's run of 8 consecutive Grand Slam wins came to an end. His last Grand Slam defeat had come against Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Wimbledon final.

Alcaraz won the first set of the match in a tiebreak, but Shelton fought back strongly to take the second set 6-1. Shelton continued to dominate in the third set as well, winning it comfortably 6-3. Alcaraz then hit back to win the fourth set 6-1. The fifth and deciding set was tied at 6-6, taking the match to a tiebreak, where Shelton prevailed 10-7. Shelton will now face Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal.

The 23-year-old Alcaraz was chasing his eighth Grand Slam title, but will now have to wait longer for it. He has previously won the Australian Open once, in 2026, the French Open twice, in 2024 and 2025, Wimbledon twice, in 2023 and 2024, and the US Open twice, in 2022 and 2025.

The picture in the women's semifinals has also become clear. American Jessica Pegula staged a stirring comeback in the quarterfinal, beating fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. In a match that lasted 2 hours and 21 minutes, Pegula came back from a set down to win the next two sets and reach the semifinal. This is her third consecutive US Open semifinal, and her fourth Grand Slam semifinal overall. She will now face world number one and two-time champion Aryna Sabalenka, who defeated Linda Noskova 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) in a tightly contested match.