Carlos Alcaraz tumbled out of the US Open quarterfinals at 3:34 am Wednesday, falling to Ben Shelton in an epic five-set thriller that broke the record for latest finish ever at Flushing Meadows.
The big-hitting Shelton claimed his first career win over Alcaraz, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7), ending the Spaniard’s hopes of retaining his title in his first tournament back after a four-month injury absence.
Earlier, Jessica Pegula reached the US Open semifinals for a third successive year, coming from a set down to beat Emma Navarro 3-6 6-4 6-3 in an all-American clash on Tuesday.
The 32-year-old will face two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka in a rematch of the 2024 final after securing her fifth straight win over her compatriot, including a victory at last month’s Cincinnati Open.
The clash, dubbed by American media as the “Battle of the Billionaires” because of their backgrounds, began more than an hour later than scheduled after Frances Tiafoe’s marathon victory over Alex Michelsen in another all-American contest.
The wait did little to help either player find their rhythm, with the match instead marked by errors and few sustained bursts of momentum.
The 26th seed had the edge in a scrappy opening set as both players struggled to settle. They traded early breaks and each hit five double faults, with an extra break allowing Navarro to move one set ahead.
The miscues continued in the second, but Pegula found a slight improvement that allowed her to level the match, finishing a long exchange with a fine forehand winner to make it one set apiece.
Pegula carried that momentum into the decider, where an extra break put her in control before she closed out the victory.
“It was really tough, really physical, I wasn’t serving my best, I was fighting a lot of demons out there,” Pegula said on court.
“I do a great job on having a short term memory, I know everytime I come out no matter what I have to tell the negative me to shut up and just play tennis and compete.”
The victory was also Pegula’s 50th of the season, making her the first player on the women’s tour to reach that mark in 2026.
Meanwhile, two-time defending champion Sabalenka rallied in the final set to beat Linda Noskova on Tuesday and reach a sixth straight US Open semi-final.
Sabalenka triumphed 7-6 (7/1), 3-6, 7-6 (10/7) over the 21-year-old Wimbledon champion, who went toe-to-toe with the world number one on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“What a battle,” Sabalenka told the crowd. “I was pushing myself to the limit, especially in the third set.
“I honestly thought that was it, the match was over, and that’s what helped me to feel loose and go for my shots,” added the Belarusian star, who trailed 4-2 in the third set after coughing up two double faults in the fifth game to surrender a break of serve.
Sabalenka looked headed for another Grand Slam disappointment in a season in which she has so far been unable to add to her stash of four major titles.
Clearly frustrated, she nevertheless regrouped and broke Noskova to love to pull level at 4-4.
They hurtled to the 10-point tiebreaker — where Sabalenka dropped the first two points before climbing back and finally sealing victory with a courageous second-serve ace.
Noskova fired 18 aces — 46 winners in all to Sabalenka’s 42 — as she became the first player to take a set off Sabalenka in the tournament.
Sabalenka has now won 18 straight matches at Flushing Meadows, and she must keep going to a third straight title if she is to have any chance to retain the world number one ranking she has held since October of 2024.
Even the title might not do it. Second-ranked Elena Rybakina can grab the top spot if she beats Zheng Qinwen in their quarter-final on Wednesday.
The victory was Sabalenka’s first win over a top-10 player since she beat Coco Gauff in the Miami final in March.
That was her third title of 2026, but Sabalenka has struggled since, exiting early at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
American 11th seed Frances Tiafoe also had to go the distance, rallying from two sets down and erasing a 3-0 deficit in the fifth set to beat 22-year-old compatriot Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6 (10/6).
Michelsen, ranked 46th, had reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final without dropping a set. He served for the match at 5-4 in the third.
“He gave me some gifts, a couple of double faults there,” Tiafoe said. “But then I slowly started to get my rhythm there, snuck out third set and slowly started playing better and better.
“But he is a hell of a player,” Tiafoe added of Michelsen, who wept in Tiafoe’s arms as they met at the net after four hours and 38 minutes. “He should have easily won today.”
Tiafoe rolled through the fourth set, and when Michelsen responded Tiafoe refused to fold, battling back to force the decider and reach the semi-finals in Flushing Meadows for the third time in five years.
Source: Khaleej Times