2nd seed Carlos Alcaraz lost to 8th seed Ben Shelton with scores of 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) in the US Open 2026 quarterfinals at Arthur Ashe's court.
The match lasted 4 hours and 28 minutes and ended at 3:33 am on Wednesday (New York time) - the latest ending time in US Open history.
This defeat ended Alcaraz's 18-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments as well as a 12-match winning streak in matches that had to be decided by the fifth set.
Sharing after the match, Alcaraz said he felt "happy" and "proud".
As I said before the tournament started, my expectation is to go there, compete, experience matches like this and most importantly, maintain a healthy physical condition," the 23-year-old Spanish player said.
The match was very tight. I was a little regretful for not winning, but I was still happy. I am proud of myself and the way I fought.
After set 3, my fitness declined significantly, but I tried to recover and made more physical effort.
In set 5, I started to feel healthier. However, my opponent is a real'monster'. Shelton is an extraordinary player with a powerful playing style. He knows how to handle every situation extremely well, so I praise him.
Even so, I left the field with happiness. I left the field with a smile and a healthy body; that's exactly what I need.
When asked what made the difference in the tie-break in set 5, Alcaraz emphasized Shelton's serving ability.
Service is really a powerful weapon in such situations. But sometimes we win, sometimes we lose," the 7-time Grand Slam champion shared.
I remember the last time I played a tie-break [in set 5] was in Paris [match against Jannik Sinner last year]. It was an unbelievable match I experienced at that time.
This time, when you are trying to fight and try to overcome all obstacles, your body will be very tired.
And it is clear that when the opponent serves, they put a lot of pressure on you. You are only worried about how to return the ball to the court, while you cannot know in advance whether you will continue to hit the ball or the opponent will score points directly from that serve.
Therefore, I think that in such moments, opponents take advantage of the serve very well. I don't give any excuses, but I must say that it is an extremely important weapon at decisive moments.
