Carlos Alcaraz reveals what made the difference in epic US Open loss to Ben Shelton

Carlos Alcaraz spoke candidly after his title defence at the 2026 US Open ended with an epic five-set defeat to Ben Shelton.

No 2 seed Alcaraz was beaten 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) by eighth seed Shelton in the US Open quarter-finals in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The match lasted four hours and 28 minutes, concluding at 3:33am on Wednesday morning in New York — the latest finish time in US Open history.

Alcaraz’s loss ended his 18-match win streak at Grand Slams and his 12-match win streak in matches decided by a fifth set.

Speaking to reporters after the match, Alcaraz said he was “happy” and “proud.”

“Well, as I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete, play in these kinds of matches, for me, being healthy,” said the 23-year-old Spaniard.

“So, it was close. It was close. So, I’m just a little bit disappointed about not getting the win, but I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought.

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“After the third set, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and physically give extra.

“In the fifth set, I just started to feel better and better. But I was playing against someone that is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player and powerful. He just managed how to play really well in every situation, so credit to him.

“But I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”

Asked what made the difference in the fifth set tiebreak, Alcaraz highlighted Shelton’s serve.

“Well, the serve is a really good weapon in these kind of situations. But sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.

“I remember the last [fifth set] tiebreak that I played was in Paris [against Jannik Sinner last year]; it was an unbelievable game that I played during that moment.

“This time, when you’re trying to fight, and trying to overcome all the problems that you might have, physically tired a lot.

“And obviously, when he’s serving, he puts a lot of pressure on you. You’re thinking about trying to put the return in, and it’s an unknown if you’re gonna play the point, or he’s gonna get a free point with the serve.

“So, I think in these moments, he takes a lot of advantage with the serve. Not any excuse, but I would say this is an important weapon in these moments.”

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