US Open 2026 results: Alcaraz was defeated at 3:30 a.m

Continuing the dramatic opening matches of the US Open quarter-finals, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton made the audience present at Arthur Ashe only able to leave in the early morning of September 9 (local time).

As the No. 2 seed, the Spanish player is rated higher, especially when he has won all 3 previous encounters.

But, Shelton is not like the opponents Alcaraz has faced in the past 4 rounds. Shelton, born a few months before Alcaraz, has a style of play full of strength and endurance. 3 out of 4 matches of the 8th seed have required 4 sets, so he is not afraid to exert himself and prolong the match.

Both players took advantage of their serve games well in set 1, so they had to solve it with a tie-break, where Alcaraz won more mini-breaks (4 compared to 3) to win 7-5.

Set 2 started with 2 extended games that seemed to make Alcaraz lose strength, while Shelton was too accurate and effective with decisive shots.

As a result, Alcaraz lost 2 sets in a row unexpectedly with a large gap of 1-6, 3-6.

The problem is that, against high-class players like Alcaraz or previously Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, leading 2 sets does not guarantee victory.

Even at the US Open 2026, some players have created incredible comebacks.

Alcaraz may fall into a weaker position than his opponent at some point in the match, but when cornered, bravery is always shown.

The Spanish player won back 6-1 in set 4 where he was more effective in both serving and returning serve, making fewer mistakes than the opponent on the other side of the net.

Set 5 decided to be a repeat of set 1, when the 2 players competed for every point, every game. They both had break opportunities but did not take advantage of them successfully.

The closer to the end, the more pressure fell on Alcaraz in a chasing position. However, the bravery of the 7-time Grand Slam winner helped him stand firm, so that the match needed a tie-break to reach 10.

In the unpredictable "shootout" series, pressure soon pushed Alcaraz when they lost a mini-break first. But until halfway, the score was still tied 5-5.

The turning point occurred when Alcaraz lost points when the score was 7-6. Shelton made good use of the last two serves to end the tie-break series at 10-7.

After 4:31 am, the match ended at nearly 3:30 am New York time (2:30 pm Vietnam time).

Overall, Shelton played well but Alcaraz himself also made many unforced errors (53 times). There were also 7 double faults when serving, so the overall defeat of 7-6(5), 1-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (7) is also reasonable.

With Shelton, he holds a ticket to the semi-finals, facing compatriot Frances Tiafoe and US tennis is sure to have a player in the US Open 2026 men's final.