Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praised Ben Shelton for his thrilling victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open quarter-finals, while sympathising with the Spaniard following his defeat. “That was some tennis! Every time it looked like one of them had the match, the other fought his way back. And then it came down to the final few points. Well played, Ben Shelton! Tough luck, Carlos.
Shelton stunned Alcaraz in a dramatic five-set encounter, prevailing 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10/7) to book his place in the semi-finals.
Reacting to the match, Tendulkar said both players repeatedly fought their way back into the contest before Shelton held his nerve in the deciding moments. Coming back after an injury makes this one even tougher,” Tendulkar said in a post on X.
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar praised Ben Shelton for his thrilling victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open quarter-finals.
This time, however, Alcaraz could not produce another late-night escape as Shelton held his nerve in the deciding Match Tie-break to complete a stunning upset and book his place in the semi-finals. Alcaraz, meanwhile, was playing his first tournament after a four-month injury layoff. The Spaniard had dropped just one set on his way to the quarter-finals before Shelton brought his title defence to an end. Both Americans will be chasing their maiden Grand Slam final appearance. The Australian Open victory also made him the youngest man to complete the Career Grand Slam.
The four-hour, 28-minute contest became the latest-finishing match in US Open history, surpassing the previous record of 2:50 a.m., which was set exactly two years ago when Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner in a five-set quarter-final, according to the ATP website. The 23-year-old American has been in impressive form during the North American hard-court swing and improved to 13-2 during the stretch. Shelton, who won his second ATP Masters 1000 title in Montreal, has now reached the US Open semi-finals for the first time since 2023. Shelton, who is now 38-13 for the 2026 season, will face 11th seed Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals. The Spaniard had arrived in New York on an 18-match winning streak at Grand Slam tournaments, his longest such run, which included his 2025 US Open title and his Australian Open triumph earlier this year.
