Carlos Alcaraz knocked out of US Open by Ben Shelton in late night thriller

Alcaraz - a seven-time Grand Slam winner - was looking for a fairytale return to tennis following his lengthy absence from tennis due to a wrist injury, but it wasn't to be as he lost in a gruelling affair to the American.

Having spent the past four months on the sidelines, the US Open was Alcaraz's first tournament back and he impressed during his first four matches at Flushing Meadows as he dropped only one set.

But he met his match in the late-night encounter on Arthur Ashe Stadium as the big-serving Shelton held his nerve to secure a 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) victory as the pair made history with the latest-ever finish at the US Open.

Shelton rallied from 3/5 down in the first-to-ten-points deciding-set tie-break to finally bring an end to the thrilling four-hour, 28-minute battle.

The match finished at 3:33 am with Shelton claiming his first-ever win over the Spaniard. He goes on to face Frances Tiafoe for a place in the 2026 US Open final.

Alcaraz thundered 38 winners to Shelton's 34, although the Spaniard's efforts were undermined by his 53 unforced errors.

"For me, it is always about the people in the crowd," said Shelton in his in-court interview.

"Whether it is my coaches or my team over there, all my friends and family, or even the city of New York that showed up tonight till 3am with the USA chants until the very end by the crowd, that's what got me the win tonight.

"Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already at 23 years old. It's always fun being on the court against him. It's ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes. But the most enjoyable match that I've had in my career, for sure."

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