Ben Shelton vs Carlos Alcaraz face off in the US Open quarterfinals on Tuesday, September 8th, at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Expect an exciting and back-and-forth all-stakes battle. Both players reached the last eight with dominant straight-sets wins on Sunday, setting up one of the most anticipated matchups of the tournament.
Alcaraz enters with a 3-0 career record against Shelton and has looked increasingly sharp since returning from a five-month injury layoff. He has dropped just one set through four rounds. Expect a high-quality, entertaining match, but Alcaraz’s superior head-to-head and current form should be enough to advance in four sets.
Alcaraz defeated Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 to reach his fifth career US Open quarterfinal and extended his Grand Slam winning streak to 18 matches. Shelton overpowered former World No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in just one hour and 52 minutes. Shelton blasted 12 aces without facing a single break point. It was his third straight win over a player who has cracked the ATP top 10.
Alcaraz has won all three previous meetings with Shelton, most recently in a dramatic fourth-round match at the 2025 French Open that went 7-6(8), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4. Their other encounters came at the 2024 Laver Cup and the 2023 Canadian Open. Shelton has never beaten Alcaraz, but each meeting has grown more competitive.
Alcaraz chose the US Open as his first tournament back after a wrist injury sidelined him for nearly five months, and he’s made an immediate statement, looking sharper with every round. He was even caught off guard live on ESPN when told his quarterfinal opponent would be Shelton rather than Frances Tiafoe, who he had expected to face.
Shelton arrives on the back of a wild, inconsistent 2026 season, winning three titles across three different surfaces, at the Dallas Open, the BMW Open, and the Stuttgart Open. He also suffered shock early exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He enters Tuesday in career-best form, having won Montreal without dropping a set, and is chasing a chance to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Shelton didn’t hesitate when asked what it would take to beat Alcaraz, saying simply that it would require “special tennis.” Shelton called Alcaraz’s return from injury “superhuman” and promised fans “fireworks” on Tuesday night. Alcaraz has echoed the mutual respect, having previously praised Shelton publicly after their tight French Open battle last year.
Exact court time will be confirmed in the official daily order of play, since quarterfinal scheduling depends on how earlier matches that day play out.
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The Shelton/Alcaraz winner advances to the semifinals on Friday, September 11, one step closer to the final on Sunday, September 13. For Alcaraz, it’s another step toward defending his title just months after many wondered if he’d be fit in time to compete. For Shelton, it’s a genuine chance to reach his second US Open semifinal and take a run at his first major title on home soil.
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