American Ben Shelton Beats Carlos Alcaraz in US Open Thriller That Ended After 3 A.M.

American tennis star Ben Shelton delivered a huge win which began on Tuesday, September 8 and carried into the wee hours of the morning, when he defeated the reigning champ, Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, in a dramatic quarterfinal at the US Open.

The four-hour, 28-minute match at Arthur Ashe Stadium concluded at 3:33 a.m. local time in New York, making it the latest-finishing match ever in US Open history, per CNN.

Alcaraz, who won last year and is ranked No. 3 in the world, claimed the opening set after winning the tiebreak, but Shelton responded by taking the next two sets to move ahead 2-1.

Alcaraz fought back in the fourth set to force a deciding fifth, which went the distance before Shelton finally secured the victory.

The win marked the first time Shelton has defeated a top-three player in his career. He hit 34 winners and made just 35 unforced errors, per CNN, to reach the third Grand Slam semifinal of his career.

Shelton sealed the victory with a 146-mph serve. After the match, he praised the New York crowd for staying until the early morning.

“I mean, it’s incredible,” Shelton said, per the outlet. “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.”

Shelton will now face fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal, guaranteeing that an American player will reach the men’s US Open final this year.