American Ben Shelton beats Carlos Alcaraz in latest-ever US Open finish

Leonardo Munoz/AFP/Getty Images

US tennis star Ben Shelton eventually got the better of Carlos Alcaraz in the latest-ever finish in US Open history, ending the Spaniard’s title defense and progressing to an all-American semifinal.

The titanic quarterfinal lasted four hours and 28 minutes, eventually ending at 3:33 a.m. local time in New York’s Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The match was as dramatic as it sounds, with momentum swinging between the two players battling it out on court.

It all appeared to be going to plan for Alcaraz after he won the first-set tiebreak, but Shelton stormed back in the next two sets to take a 2-1 lead in the match. But the Spaniard won the fourth set to take the contest to a deciding set that went the distance.

With thousands of fans sticking around to watch the epic, Shelton was buoyed by the home support and found the energy to edge the match-deciding tiebreak and win the record-breaking quarterfinal in five sets – 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7).

The viral signature drink of the US Open, the Honey Deuce, has been sold at the tournament for nearly 20 years. Last year, the tournament sold approximately 740,000 drinks, bringing the total in sales to around $17.2 million. CNN spoke to fans at the US Open who say they were expecting the drink to cost more due to its popularity.

“I mean, it’s incredible,” Shelton said after securing the win with a monster 146-mph serve. “I always say this is the greatest sports city in the world, the greatest stadium in the world.”

He added: “For me, it’s always about the people in the crowd. Whether it’s my coaches and my team over there or my family and friends over here.

“Or the city of New York that showed up tonight until 3 a.m., with the ‘U-S-A’ chants until the very end. That’s what kept me going, and that’s what got me this win tonight.”

Geoff Burke/Imagn/Reuters

It was a brilliant performance from Shelton, who beat a top-3 player for the first time in his career. He made just 35 unforced errors and hit 34 winners to reach the third grand slam semifinal of his career.

He will now face compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal, meaning an American will be in the final of the men’s US Open this year.

Not since Andy Roddick in 2003 has an American man won a major title. This might be the country’s best chance for quite some time, given that the likes of Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner are not in the picture.

For Alcaraz, the loss brings an end to his title defense this year after a difficult season plagued by injury. The Spaniard missed both Wimbledon and the French Open but did win the Australian Open title at the start of 2026 – his seventh major trophy.

The world No. 3 was typically gracious in defeat, smiling and waving to the crowd as he walked off the court, acknowledging the fans who had stayed until the bitter end.

“It was close. I’m just a bit disappointed by not getting the win at the end,” he told reporters.

“I’m just happy, I’m just proud of myself. After the first set, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and physically give extra. In the fifth, I just started to feel better and better.

“But you know, I was playing against someone that is a beast. You know, Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just manages to play really, really well in every situation. So credit to him.

“But you know, I just leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I need.”

Leonardo Munoz/AFP/Getty Images

美国网球明星本·谢尔顿最终战胜了卡洛斯·阿尔卡拉斯，赢得了美国网球公开赛历史上最晚的比赛，终结了这位西班牙选手的卫冕之路，并晋级到美国内战的半决赛。

这场惊心动魄的四分之一决赛持续了 4 小时 28 分钟，最终于纽约阿瑟·阿什球场当地时间凌晨 3 点 33 分结束。

这场比赛正如其名，跌宕起伏，双方球员在场上激烈拼搏，比分交替上升。

阿尔卡拉斯赢得首盘抢七后，一切似乎都在按计划进行，但谢尔顿在接下来的两盘中强势反击，以2-1反超比分。然而，这位西班牙选手赢下第四盘，将比赛拖入决胜盘，最终双方鏖战五盘。

数千名球迷留下来观看这场史诗般的比赛，谢尔顿在主场球迷的支持下士气大振，找到了能量，在决定比赛胜负的抢七局中险胜，并以五盘比分 6-7(5)、6-1、6-3、1-6、7-6(7) 赢得了这场破纪录的四分之一决赛。

美国网球公开赛的招牌饮品“蜂蜜二号”（Honey Deuce）已在赛事期间销售近20年，并迅速走红网络。去年，该赛事售出约74万杯“蜂蜜二号”，总销售额约为1720万美元。CNN采访了一些美国网球公开赛的球迷，他们表示，由于这款饮品如此受欢迎，他们原本以为价格会更高。

“我的意思是，这太不可思议了，”谢尔顿在用一记时速高达146英里的惊人发球锁定胜局后说道。“我一直都说，这里是世界上最伟大的体育城市，拥有世界上最棒的体育场。”

他补充道：“对我来说，最重要的始终是台下的观众。无论是台下的教练和队友，还是台下的家人和朋友。”

“还有今晚一直到凌晨三点都到场的纽约市民，他们高喊着‘美国！美国！’直到最后一刻。正是这种精神支撑着我，也正是这种精神让我赢得了今晚的胜利。”

Geoff Burke/Imagn/路透社

谢尔顿表现出色，职业生涯首次击败世界排名前三的选手。他仅有35次非受迫性失误，并打出34个制胜分，职业生涯第三次晋级大满贯半决赛。

他将在半决赛中对阵同胞弗朗西斯·蒂亚福，这意味着今年美国网球公开赛男单决赛将有一名美国选手。

自2003年安迪·罗迪克之后，美国男子选手就再也没有赢得过大满贯冠军。考虑到阿尔卡拉斯、诺瓦克·德约科维奇和扬尼克·辛纳等选手都不在考虑范围内，这或许是美国在相当长一段时间内最好的机会。

对阿尔卡拉斯而言，这场失利终结了他今年的卫冕之路。此前，他经历了一个饱受伤病困扰的艰难赛季。这位西班牙选手错过了温网和法网，但在2026年初赢得了澳网冠军——这是他职业生涯的第七个大满贯头衔。

世界排名第三的选手在失利后依然保持着风度，面带微笑地向观众挥手致意，然后走下球场，感谢那些坚持到最后一刻的球迷。

“比赛很接近。最后没能赢下比赛，我有点失望，”他告诉记者。

“我很高兴，我为自己感到骄傲。第一盘结束后，我身体上真的很累，但我找到了让自己振作起来的方法，在体能上付出更多。到了第五盘，我感觉越来越好。”

“但是你知道，我当时面对的是一个实力超群的对手。谢尔顿是个不可思议的球员，力量惊人。他总能在各种情况下发挥得非常出色。所以，我必须向他致敬。”

“但是你知道，我离开球场的时候心情都很好。我带着笑容，身体健康地离开球场，这就是我所需要的。”