NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz’s U.S. Open title defense ended early Wednesday after Ben Shelton defeated the Spaniard in a five-set quarterfinal that finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest-ending match in tournament history.
Shelton won 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) to reach the semifinals, where he will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe.
Despite the loss, Alcaraz said he left Arthur Ashe Stadium satisfied with his performance and relieved that he remained healthy after returning from a four-month absence because of a wrist injury.
“I leave the court happy,” Alcaraz said. “I leave the court with a smile. I am proud of myself, how I fought.”
Alcaraz said he felt physically exhausted during the match but managed to push through the five-set battle.
“I mean it was close, it really was close, so I was disappointed I didn’t get the win in the end, but I’m just happy … physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself,” he said.
The 23-year-old Spaniard also praised Shelton’s performance.
“Shelton played a very complete, very mature match,” Alcaraz said in Spanish. “He knew exactly what to do at every moment. And, physically, he’s a beast. It seemed like he had no weaknesses whatsoever.”
Shelton called the match a “war” and said it was the most enjoyable match of his career.
“Carlos is one of the greatest champions of our sport,” Shelton said.
Alcaraz entered the tournament with questions about his wrist after taking four months away from competition. He said he felt better than expected throughout the tournament and lost only one set in his first four rounds.
“It feels like I’ve been competing the whole time,” Alcaraz said after reaching the fourth round. “I surprise myself the way that I’m feeling, and the way that I’m recovering after every match.”
The Spaniard had previously said he planned to take longer breaks in the future rather than rely on a heavy tournament schedule to maintain his form.
Shelton and Alcaraz traded momentum throughout their quarterfinal. Shelton took the second and third sets after Alcaraz won the opening tiebreaker. Alcaraz forced a fifth set, but Shelton prevailed in another tiebreaker.
Fans remained inside Arthur Ashe Stadium until the match ended after 3:30 a.m., with supporters chanting for both players.
Among them were Anushka Sancheti, 28, from Atlanta, and Prajakti Kapde, 28, from Raleigh, North Carolina. The friends had never attended a professional tennis match before and bought their tickets without knowing which players they would see.
They ended up watching Alcaraz, their favorite player, compete in a historic quarterfinal.
“We do understand how historic this is,” Sancheti said.
Kapde added, “We really can’t believe it!”