An American will contest the US Open men's final after Ben Shelton eliminated Carlos Alcaraz, ending the reigning champion's bid and extending Shelton's run into the tournament's last four.
Shelton closed out a four-hour and 28-minute match on Arthur Ashe Stadium with a 6-7 (5-7) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6 (10-7) victory. The contest did not start until about 11pm after earlier play pushed back the schedule, and it concluded at 03:34 local time, the latest finish recorded in this tournament's history.
The scoreline underlined the match's swings. Shelton dropped the opening set in a tie-break, recovered emphatically to take the second and third sets, ceded the fourth 1-6, and then forced a decisive set tie-break which he won 10-7. When the final point fell, the crowd gave Shelton a standing ovation and he took a prolonged moment to absorb the significance of what is the biggest victory of his career so far.
Shelton, 23, has now matched his best performance at a Grand Slam by reaching the semi-finals. He will meet fellow American Frances Tiafoe on Friday with a place in the final at stake, meaning at least one American will be in the title match in New York.
Before this result, Shelton had never beaten a top-three opponent in 17 attempts and had lost each of his three previous meetings with Alcaraz, which underlined how consequential this win is for his standing. For Alcaraz, the loss removes the defending champion from contention and ends his attempt to retain the US Open crown.
With the late finish setting a new tournament record and attention shifting to the semi-finals, Shelton now arrives at his next match with momentum and an opportunity that includes the possibility of becoming the first American men's champion in New York in 23 years.
