NEW YORK — With his epic victory over Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton made the leap he needed and has now claimed the favourite’s tag for the 2026 US Open. The pressure is all his.
The match the North American won at Arthur Ashe at 3.33 in the morning is more than a place in the semifinals — it is the kind of victory Shelton had never managed before and that, at 22, he needed to achieve if he wants to remain one of the candidates to be the third man in the Alcaraz-Sinner era.
A win that can be a turning point in a career: against the tournament’s top favourite, in the super-tiebreak of the deciding set, showing a level never seen from him before, with the crowd electric in the world’s largest tennis stadium.
“The most enjoyable match that I’ve had in my career,” Shelton said after the nearly four and a half hours of a match that ended 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6 and 7-6 (10-7) in his favour.
Shelton is proving to be a completely different player — better physically and more confident. He is more consistent from the baseline, closing points at the net more frequently and with greater precision. His backhand has improved and it is no longer so easy for opponents to win points attacking that side, and he is showing more variety with his serve.
Another telling statistic from the North American’s victory: Alcaraz had won 12 consecutive matches when they reached the fifth set. The final stretch is where the Spaniard always produces his best tennis and proves that few players perform like him after so much physical wear.
Shelton achieved what seemed impossible. He also recorded his first win against a top-3 player after 17 defeats.
“For my dad and I, it was just enjoyable to be a part of that match. 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,” said Shelton, who will be the new world number four on Monday.
That work with Bryan Shelton, his father and coach, is bearing fruit in a very positive relationship that adds no extra pressure.
The pressure comes from elsewhere: having eliminated Alcaraz, with Sinner absent from the other half of the draw, and a Zverev who, despite gaining momentum, is not showing his best, this is his US Open to win.
