US Open history was rewritten in the early hours of Wednesday morning when Ben Shelton stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Shelton defeated Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a five-set marathon that finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest end to a match in tournament history. Reuters and CNN both confirmed the record-breaking finish. Hours earlier, Frances Tiafoe staged a dramatic comeback from two sets down to beat fellow American Alex Michelsen.
The result is an all-American semifinal. For the first time in years, the United States has a genuine opportunity to end its 23-year wait for a men’s Grand Slam champion.
Shelton’s victory over Alcaraz was the biggest of his career. The eighth seed had never previously beaten a top-three player at a major. On this night he produced a performance of power, composure and belief that carried him through four hours and 28 minutes.
Alcaraz, returning from a lengthy wrist injury, took the first set and forced a decider. Shelton responded by winning nine consecutive games at one stage and then held his nerve in the final-set tiebreak, sealing the win with a 146 mph ace.
The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd that stayed until the early morning rewarded him with a standing ovation. The official US Open site described it as one of the most memorable nights in recent tournament history.
Tiafoe’s path was equally dramatic. Trailing by two sets and a break against Michelsen, the 11th seed dug in. He saved the match in the third set, took control in the fourth, and closed out a 10-point tiebreak in the fifth after more than four and a half hours. BBC Sport detailed the remarkable turnaround.
The win sends Tiafoe into a third US Open semifinal in five years. He becomes only the second American man this century, after Andre Agassi, to reach the US Open semifinals three times.
Shelton and Tiafoe will meet on Friday. One of them will reach the final. That alone marks significant progress.
Taylor Fritz ended the long wait for an American man to reach a Grand Slam final when he made the 2024 US Open final, but he lost to Jannik Sinner.
No American man has actually won a major title since Andy Roddick lifted the US Open trophy in 2003 by beating Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets.
The official US Open records and multiple historical accounts confirm Roddick remains the last American men’s Grand Slam champion.
Twenty-three years later, the championship drought remains the longest in the Open Era for American men.
Previous near-misses often featured one strong American run while the rest of the field was stacked with established champions. This time the path is clearer.
Alcaraz is out. Shelton and Tiafoe both possess the weapons — big serves, aggressive returns, and the ability to feed off a home crowd — that can trouble anyone left in the tournament.
Shelton’s win over Alcaraz also removes a psychological barrier. American players have struggled against the very best at the biggest events. Beating a two-time US Open champion in a high-stakes, late-night marathon changes that narrative.
This is no longer just about one player’s breakthrough. It is about whether a generation that includes Shelton, Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz and others can finally convert promise into a major title.
The United States has produced consistent top-20 players and occasional deep runs. What it has lacked is the final step.
An all-American US Open semifinal, with both men in strong form and the defending champion already eliminated, creates the most favorable conditions in more than two decades.
One of them will play for the title on Sunday. For the first time since Roddick’s victory in 2003, American fans can watch a home player in a Grand Slam final with genuine belief that the drought can end.
The stage is set. The opportunity is real. Now it is up to Shelton or Tiafoe to take it.
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