- Ben Shelton upset No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz in a 4-hour, 28-minute US Open quarterfinal, reaching his third Grand Slam semifinal.
- Shelton will face No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe in the US Open semifinals, both seeking their first Grand Slam final appearance.
Former Florida Gator and Buchholz High School alum Ben Shelton upset reigning US Open champion and No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz early Wednesday morning to advance to the US Open semifinals.
Shelton sealed the biggest victory of his career at 3:33 a.m. ET with a 146 mph serve for an ace, earning his third career Grand Slam semifinal appearance and second at the US Open. Shelton defeated Alcaraz in the four-hour, 28-minute quarterfinal contest, winning 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7).
The victory also made Shelton the first American to defeat Alcaraz at a Grand Slam. Alcaraz had won the previous three meetings between the players, including their most recent matchup in the fourth round of the 2025 French Open.
“Epic match, so physical,” Shelton told reporters after the win. “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.”
Entering the quarterfinal, Alcaraz had won 31 of his previous 32 Grand Slam matches dating to the 2025 French Open. Shelton was 0-17 against top-three opponents and 1-6 against top-10 opponents at Grand Slam tournaments.
Shelton, now 38-13 this season, will face fellow American and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals on Friday. Both players will be seeking their first Grand Slam final appearance.
Shelton leads his career series against Tiafoe 3-1. The two Americans have met twice previously at the US Open, with Shelton winning their 2023 quarterfinal and Tiafoe winning their 2024 third-round match.
Shelton is 34-8 on North American soil since July 2025. He won his first ATP Tour title at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart, Germany, on June 14 and advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals in July 2025.