Ben Shelton might hand Carlos Alcaraz another tough loss after the US Open and stop his five-year winning streak.
Carlos Alcaraz faced a tough challenge from Ben Shelton after losing to the American in an intense five-set match at the US Open. Their quarter-final lasted nearly four and a half hours and ended at 3:34am local time—the latest finish ever for a US Open match.
Even though Alcaraz, who is world number three, is out of the tournament, Shelton could still end an amazing streak held by the Spaniard when they play again later this month.
Shelton will play an all-American semi-final against Frances Tiafoe, who has climbed up to world number eight. Shelton himself is at a career-high ranking of number four and will stay there if he beats Tiafoe.
If Shelton wins his first Grand Slam, he will come very close to passing Alcaraz in the rankings. Right now, Alcaraz has 5,560 points, and Shelton’s highest possible total is 5,380.
While Alcaraz is behind Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner in the rankings, he is still the top player under 24. He has held this spot every week since 2021 when he first played a Grand Slam.
Shelton, turning 24 in a month, could take over just two days before his birthday. Both players will compete in the Japan Open from September 30 to October 6 in Tokyo. This ATP 500 event gives 500 points to the winner, and Alcaraz is the defending champion.
Alcaraz is still recovering from a serious wrist injury, and this US Open was his first tournament since April. This might give Shelton a chance to move ahead in the rankings.
In their match, Shelton won a close final-set tiebreak 10-7, and the crowd cheered loudly for the home player. This was the first time Alcaraz lost a final-set tiebreak at the US Open in 28 matches.
Alcaraz left the court smiling, fist-bumping an official and praising Shelton’s great play over five tough sets. “In the fifth set, I started to feel better,” Alcaraz said. “But Shelton is a beast—an incredible player who handles every situation well. Credit to him. I leave the court happy, smiling, healthy, and that’s what I needed.”