ATP Tour

Shelton after sinking Alcaraz: ‘Just enjoyable to be part of that match’

The positive energy was flowing for Ben Shelton on Tuesday night inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The home favourite delivered a high-class quarter-final performance to upset 2025 champion Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling five-set battle across four hours and 28 minutes. Shelton was in constant communication with his player’s box throughout his win, and later acknowledged the sense of camaraderie he had felt with his father and coach, Bryan Shelton, sitting courtside.

“For us, it was just enjoyable to be a part of that match,” Shelton told media after his 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) victory. “Obviously the level of tennis, how long the match was going, the fight that it was, how even of a match it was back and forth throughout, I think that that's something that we can appreciate.

“Win or lose, we would have a smile on our face.”

Shelton entered Tuesday’s night-session quarter-final with an 0-3 Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit against Alcaraz, while he was 0-17 against Top-3 opponents overall. Yet he stuck to his task admirably across the five sets, even when the Spaniard began to produce some of his trademark on-court brilliance.

“[An] epic match, so physical,” Shelton reflected after securing victory at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in US Open history. “Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old. It's always fun being on the court against him. It's ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes. But the most enjoyable match that I've had in my career, for sure.”

The way the 23-year-old Shelton reacted to losing a tight first set was the foundation for his victory. He capitalised on a drop in level from Alcaraz and was particularly potent on return, breaking serve four times across the second and third sets.

“Yeah, I was pissed, but I broke the last game before the tie-breaker, so that kind of helped my confidence going into the second set,” Shelton said when asked about losing the opening set. “I knew that my serve was only going to get better, and if I had already dialled in the return to the point that I could break him, I thought my chances were good to get that second set.

“Once I got rolling in the second set, broke him three times in that set, it was a lot easier to just play and swing more freely.”

Shelton carved out 16 break points overall in the quarter-final clash against World No. 3 Alcaraz, converting five of them en route to his biggest victory by PIF ATP Ranking. He will hope to produce a similar performance on return on Friday, when he faces his good friend and countryman Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.

“I returned really well. I thought I was smart with how I went about my return games,” the American said. “I thought I made him play a lot. I thought I capitalised on him missing, like when he missed a spot, and I didn't worry or stress too much when he hit his spot.

“I think for me to be able to hang in there in the rallies, have a game plan from the ground, and be able to execute that game plan and not be losing all the baseline points, also helps with the return.”