Tennis-Shelton next up as Alcaraz tackles all-American gauntlet in path to US Open final

Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - September 4, 2026 Spain's Carlos Alcaraz in action during his third round match against China's Yibing Wu REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

NEW YORK, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Open enters the business ⁠end on Tuesday with the quarter-finals where two-time champion Carlos Alcaraz faces another home favourite in Ben Shelton at Flushing Meadows while Aryna ⁠Sabalenka keeps her quest for a third straight crown alive.

There are also two all-American clashes in the quarter-finals when Frances Tiafoe takes on ‌Alex Michelsen while Jessica Pegula faces Emma Navarro.

TOP MEN'S MATCH: CARLOS ALCARAZ V BEN SHELTON

Defending champion Alcaraz may be used to adoring crowds at Flushing Meadows, but the Spanish second seed could find himself playing the villain as he navigates a potential all-American obstacle course to reach the final.

The seven-times major winner, fresh off a straight-sets demolition of Tommy Paul in the last 16, faces Ben Shelton in ​the quarter-final with the prospect of meeting either Frances Tiafoe or Alex Michelsen in the semi-finals ⁠should he advance.

"Shelton (is a) really powerful player. He uses the ⁠crowd, the people behind him, especially when he's playing here at home," Alcaraz told reporters.

"Really happy to see where my level is right now. Beating Tommy Paul ⁠is ‌always great feedback to see where you are."

Despite nearly five months on the sidelines with a wrist injury, Alcaraz appears to have seamlessly picked up where he left off, impressing even his upcoming opponent during their pre-tournament practice sessions.

"He's playing extremely high level. To me, he looks very normal -- his normal, ⁠I mean -- which is impressive after not playing for five months," said Shelton, who is ​0-3 against Alcaraz, last losing to the Spaniard at ‌Roland Garros in 2025.

"I think it will be a great match. I'm excited for the battle. Never played him here in New York ⁠and obviously in the position ​that I want to be in.

"I thought I played a good match in Paris, but I think I'm serving better, returning much better. I think my shot tolerance from the baseline, overall quality from the baseline, and my movement have improved."

TOP WOMEN'S MATCH: ARYNA SABALENKA V LINDA NOSKOVA

Sabalenka gets a second crack at hardcourt history when she faces Noskova in the quarter-finals, ⁠with the defending champion seeking to complete a rare "three-peat" after missing out on one in ​Australia last year.

The Belarusian top seed has looked imperious in New York, sweeping into the last eight without dropping a set as she seeks her first major title of the year.

Standing in her way is Czech sixth seed Noskova, the surprise Wimbledon champion who claimed her maiden Grand Slam title less than two months ago, but once ⁠considered hardcourts her favourite surface.

"Linda (is) another great player. Just won Wimbledon, really aggressive style of the game. Serving really well, playing super fast. You've got to stay really low to be able to handle that power and energy," Sabalenka said.

Despite holding a 2-0 record over Noskova, including a semi-final victory en route to her Indian Wells title earlier this year, Sabalenka is not taking anything for granted.

"Also, I played a couple of matches against her in the past, which also wasn't the easiest ​matches," she added.

Noskova, meanwhile, is bracing for "fast tennis" against the woman who completed the prestigious "Sunshine Double" in March with ⁠title wins at Indian Wells and Miami.

"We did play two matches. Two of them were very different. The last one in Indian Wells, it was a tough one, ​a close one, but she did well. She won the whole thing, just as she has been ‌winning here for the last two years," Noskova said.

"You know, I haven't watched her ​really, but I know her game very well."

U.S. OPEN ORDER OF PLAY ON TUESDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):

ARTHUR ASHE STADIUM (1530 GMT/1130 ET)

1-Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) v 6-Linda Noskova (Czech Republic)

11-Frances Tiafoe (U.S.) v Alex Michelsen (U.S.)

3-Jessica Pegula (U.S.) v 26-Emma Navarro (U.S.)

8-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v 2-Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru;Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Thank you for your report!

网球——美国网球公开赛——美国纽约法拉盛草地网球场——2026年9月4日，西班牙选手卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯在第三轮比赛中对阵中国选手吴一冰。（路透社/爱德华多·穆尼奥斯摄）

纽约，9 月 7 日（路透社）——美国网球公开赛将于周二进入关键阶段，四分之一决赛将在法拉盛草地球场举行，两届冠军卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯将迎战另一位本土宠儿本·谢尔顿，而阿丽娜·萨巴伦卡将继续冲击三连冠。

四分之一决赛中还有两场美国内战，弗朗西丝·蒂亚福将对阵亚历克斯·米歇尔森，杰西卡·佩古拉将迎战艾玛·纳瓦罗。

男子最佳比赛：卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯 (Carlos Alcaraz) VS 本·谢尔顿 (BEN Shelton)

卫冕冠军阿尔卡拉斯可能已经习惯了法拉盛草地公园的狂热观众，但这位西班牙二号种子选手可能会发现自己扮演反派角色，因为他需要克服重重美国选手的障碍才能晋级决赛。

这位七届大满贯冠军得主刚刚在 16 强赛中直落两盘击败汤米·保罗，将在四分之一决赛中对阵本·谢尔顿，如果他能晋级，则有可能在半决赛中遇到弗朗西斯·蒂亚福或亚历克斯·米歇尔森。

“谢尔顿是一位非常有影响力的球员。他会利用现场观众，利用他身后的球迷，尤其是在主场比赛的时候，”阿尔卡拉斯告诉记者。

“很高兴看到自己目前的水平。击败汤米·保罗总能很好地反映出自己的实力。”

尽管因手腕受伤缺席了近五个月，阿尔卡拉斯似乎已经无缝衔接地恢复了状态，甚至在赛前训练中也给即将到来的对手留下了深刻的印象。

“他现在的状态非常好。在我看来，他看起来很正常——我是说他平时的状态——考虑到他已经五个月没打比赛了，这令人印象深刻，”谢尔顿说道。谢尔顿对阵阿尔卡拉斯的战绩为0胜3负，他上一次输给这位西班牙选手是在2025年的法网公开赛上。

“我认为这将是一场精彩的比赛。我很期待这场比赛。我以前从未在纽约和他交过手，而且显然，我希望能以我想要的位置出战。”

“我觉得我在巴黎打得不错，但我认为我的发球更好了，接发球也好了很多。我觉得我的底线击球容错率、底线整体质量以及移动都有所提高。”

最佳女子比赛： ARYNA Sabalenka V LINDA NOSKOVA

萨巴伦卡将在四分之一决赛中对阵诺斯科娃，再次冲击硬地历史。卫冕冠军诺斯科娃希望在去年澳大利亚错失三连冠后，完成罕见的“三连冠”。

白俄罗斯头号种子选手在纽约展现出绝对的统治力，一路横扫对手，未失一盘晋级八强，力争赢得她今年的首个大满贯冠军。

挡在她面前的是捷克六号种子诺斯科娃，这位令人意外的温布尔登冠军在不到两个月前获得了她的第一个大满贯冠军，但她曾经认为硬地是她最喜欢的场地。

“琳达（萨巴伦卡）是另一位伟大的球员。她刚刚赢得了温网冠军，打法非常激进。发球非常好，球速也很快。你必须保持很低的重心才能应对她那样的力量和能量，”萨巴伦卡说道。

尽管萨巴伦卡对阵诺斯科娃的战绩为 2-0，包括今年早些时候在通往印第安维尔斯冠军的道路上赢得的一场半决赛胜利，但她并没有掉以轻心。

“而且，我以前也和她交过几次手，那些比赛也都不容易，”她补充道。

与此同时，诺斯科娃正准备迎战这位在三月份完成了著名的“阳光双冠王”的选手，后者在印第安维尔斯和迈阿密都获得了冠军。

“我们打了两场比赛。这两场比赛截然不同。最后一场在印第安维尔斯的比赛很艰难，比分很接近，但她发挥得很好。她赢得了最终的胜利，就像她过去两年在这里取得的胜利一样，”诺斯科娃说道。

“你知道，我其实没怎么看过她打球，但我很了解她的球风。”

美国公开赛周二比赛顺序（前缀数字表示种子选手）：

阿瑟·阿什球场（格林尼治标准时间15:30/美国东部时间11:30）

1号选手阿丽娜·萨巴伦卡（白俄罗斯）对阵6号选手琳达·诺斯科娃（捷克共和国）

11-弗朗西斯·蒂亚福（美国）对阵亚历克斯·米歇尔森（美国）

3-杰西卡·佩古拉（美国）v 26-艾玛·纳瓦罗（美国）

8号选手本·谢尔顿（美国）对阵2号选手卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯（西班牙）

（班加罗尔 Rohith Nair 报道；Christian Radnedge 编辑）

感谢您的报告！