September 8, 2022. US Open quarterfinal. Carlos Alcaraz faces Jannik Sinner, who is serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set. Sinner serves wide, Alcaraz slugs a crosscourt backhand, Sinner errs on return. Match point saved. The Spaniard comes roaring back to take the set and match at 2:50 am. He goes on to win his maiden Grand Slam.September 9, 2026. US Open quarterfinal. Alcaraz now faces Ben Shelton, who’s serving for the match in the fifth-set tiebreak. Shelton serves wide, big and fast at 146 miles per hour. Alcaraz fails to touch it. Shelton ends Alcaraz’s title defence, and his 18-match winning streak at Majors, at 3:33 am.The service made the difference for Shelton, not just on match point but throughout the four hour, 28-minute rollercoaster. It put him in front after Set 3 and kept him alive in the decider. It seemed to get bigger and bigger as the Flushing Meadows crowd spurred on its home hope, undeterred by the ungodly hour. He responded with his first career victory over a top-three player, beating Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7).Shelton thanked his audience later, calling Arthur Ashe “the greatest stadium in the world”. Asked courtside about how he summoned the resolve, the Floridian said: “For me, it’s always about the people in the crowd – whether it’s my coaches and my team, all of my family and friends.“Or the city of New York that showed up till 3 am, with the USA chants until the very end. That’s what kept me going and got me this win.”The seeds for the latest finish in tournament history were sown before the duel began. All three preceding matches on court went the distance — Frances Tiafoe’s thrilling win against compatriot Alex Michelsen took four hours and 39 minutes. And so Alcaraz vs Shelton started after 11 pm local time. Nobody complained. The clock reads 3:21 a.m. as Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, plays in the fifth set against Ben Shelton, of the United States, during the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open tennis championships, early Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)Not even Alcaraz, who smiled genially while congratulating Shelton, packing his bags and leaving the court. He had given it his all; the result was a byproduct.Story continues below this ad“It was close. So I’m not going to be disappointed about not getting the win at the end,” Alcaraz told reporters. “I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”His pride stemmed from the way he competed. His movement, serving and groundstroke-making were all impressive upon return from an arduous wrist injury. The clinical wins in the first four rounds seemed to suggest Alcaraz was never away. He started off the same way in the quarterfinal.After an even 10 games in the first set, Alcaraz broke Shelton’s serve on love to inch ahead at 6-5. The American returned the favour immediately. The tone for the rest of the match was set with a see-saw tiebreak, which Alcaraz edged to draw first blood.But the lack of tournament stamina had perhaps caught up with the second seed by then. Unforced errors crept up off his forehand and Shelton pounced on the opportunity. From 1-1 in the second set, Alcaraz lost nine straight games to look down and out by the end of the third.Story continues below this adHe refused to capitulate. The fourth set saw a renewed push from the seven-time Slam winner as he saved two break points and then broke Shelton’s serve twice. He vomited into his towel during a changeover in between. The strain was getting to him, but he stayed locked in nevertheless.Alcaraz was resolute on serve and valiant when returning in the fifth set. It took all of the eighth seed’s big-serving capabilities to ward off the threat. The subsequent tiebreak saw momentum exchanging hands before Shelton closed it out with a booming ace.“That was a war, an epic match, so physical. Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old,” said Shelton, also 23. “It’s always fun being on the court against him. It’s ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes. The most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career, for sure.”He went on, “Obviously the level of tennis, how long the match was going, the fight that it was, how even of a match it was back and forth throughout, I think that that’s something that we can appreciate. Win or lose, we would have a smile on our face.”Story continues below this adAlcaraz returned the compliment and agreed: “I was playing against one of the best – he is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just managed how to play really, really well in every situation, so credit to him.”The man from Murcia ends his campaign with his head held high. As for Shelton, the biggest win of his career will be followed by a stern semi-final test from Tiafoe. The crowd was firmly by his side against Alcaraz. That may not be the case on Saturday.