Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz are both 23, but their careers look nothing alike. Shelton just beat him at the US Open
Shelton finally changed one number that had always belonged to Alcaraz
Shelton was born on Oct. 9, 2002. Alcaraz arrived on May 5, 2003. The American is only a few months older; however, Alcaraz has already been World No. 1, won seven Grand Slam titles and completed the Career Grand Slam.
Shelton has built an impressive career of his own. He has reached a career-high No. 5 in the ATP rankings, won seven ATP titles and reached two Grand Slam semifinals. But he is still searching for his first major final and first Grand Slam title.
And there was another major difference between them when they walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium: Shelton had never beaten Alcaraz. That changed in New York.
Alcaraz turned professional as a teenager and moved incredibly fast. At 19, he won the 2022 US Open and became the youngest World No. 1 in ATP rankings history.
He now owns seven Grand Slam titles: two US Opens, two Wimbledons, two Roland Garros titles and one Australian Open.
His victory at the 2026 Australian Open also made him the youngest man in history to complete the Career Grand Slam, meaning he had won all four majors before turning 23.
Shelton followed a completely different path
While Alcaraz was already competing against the best professionals in the world, Shelton was playing college tennis at Florida. He posted a 65-10 record, helped the Gators win the NCAA team championship in 2021 and became the NCAA singles champion in 2022.
Then his professional career took off. Shelton reached the US Open semifinals in 2023 at only 20 years old and made another Grand Slam semifinal at the 2025 Australian Open. His huge left-handed serve helped him climb as high as World No. 5.
He has also won seven ATP titles, including back-to-back Canadian Masters 1000 titles in 2025 and 2026.
Still, Alcaraz's trophy cabinet is on another level. The Spaniard has 26 ATP titles and seven Grand Slams, while Shelton has seven ATP titles and no majors.
Their head-to-head told a similar story before Tuesday night.
Alcaraz arrived in the US Open quarterfinals with a 3-0 record against Shelton, having beaten him in Toronto in 2023, the Laver Cup in 2024 and Roland Garros in 2025.
But this time Shelton had something else behind him: Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The American looked remarkably relaxed despite the magnitude of the match. He fed off the New York crowd, asked for more noise and used that energy as Alcaraz was forced into a long physical battle after returning to competition at this US Open following nearly five months away because of a wrist injury.
And neither player wanted to give this one away.
Shelton's imposing 6-foot-4 frame and massive serve, which reached 149 mph, repeatedly put Alcaraz under pressure. The Spaniard looked exhausted at different moments but kept finding another answer. Shelton took the second and third sets; Alcaraz responded by crushing him 6-1 in the fourth. Then came a fifth set in which spectacular points, long rallies and sheer determination from both players pushed the match all the way to a deciding tiebreak.
Shelton finally defeated Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7), taking the deciding 10-point tiebreak 10-7 . The match stretched beyond 2:50 a.m. in New York, making it the latest finish in US Open history. For all the differences between their careers at 23, Shelton finally erased one of the most striking ones: he is no longer winless against Carlos Alcaraz.
Now Shelton will face another American, Frances Tiafoe, in the US Open semifinals. Tiafoe reached the final four after producing his own five-set comeback against Alex Michelsen, winning 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6). That guarantees an American man in the US Open final, while Shelton is now just one victory away from reaching his first Grand Slam championship match.
