Ben Shelton beats Carlos Alcaraz, setting up an all-American US Open semi-final against Frances Tiafoe

C arlos Alcaraz was unable to qualify for the semifinals of the US Open for the fourth time in his career after falling to local player Ben Shelton, 5-7(5), 6-1, 6-3 and 7-6(7), in 4 hours and 28 minutes. It was only Alcaraz's second defeat in five sets in 17 matches, which shows the magnitude of Ben's victory.

The match started at 11:00 p.m. on Tuesday in New York after the 2 hours and 20 minutes that the quarterfinal clash between Jessica Pegula and Emma Navarro lasted.

Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest in the tennis world, remained full to continue following the spectacle put on by Alcaraz and Shelton . "It has been an honor to share the court with Carlos," said the winner at the end.

'Ben was in the fight thanks to inspiration on serve. He reached speeds of 234 kilometers per hour. Carlitos struck first with a "break" in the eleventh game and then served to move ahead on the scoreboard . '

A couple of poorly struck forehands took the outcome to sudden death. Alcaraz was better at seven points and was blowing hard because the American had won the point of the tournament, at 1-1 .

Shelton, playing at home, was not going to give up so easily and managed a second break of serve to take a favorable 3-1 lead in the next set . In Ben's box, his partner, American football star Trinity Rodman , applauded.

With the tie at one set apiece, everything was starting from scratch. It was like playing an ATP Tour match in a best-of-three-sets format . Fatigue, however, was taking more of a toll on the less match-sharp tennis player.

And that was Alcaraz. The 139 days without competing were noticeable, especially in the striking of the ball . Two of the three breaks conceded in the second set had come with a double fault. He had won 45 percent of the points on his second serve .

Shelton had already strung together eight consecutive games . Samuel López's pupil was also hurt by his 1/6 conversion on break points. He stopped the bleeding of games against him at 3-1. The thing is, Shelton's serve gave him no chance to try to come back in the third set.

Carlitos was suffering from inconsistency in his shots, typical after the long layoff caused by the injury to his right wrist. The unforced errors tally soared to 35 .

Alcaraz held on on the hard court and tried to get back into the match with a 5-4 game. The American saved it with clean, powerful hitting, and the third set was his .

The man from Murcia showed all his greatness by forcing the tie-break when few gave him a chance because of his body language, with clear signs of fatigue.

Shelton was frustrated and couldn't find the goal. That was why he headed to the locker room to try to change the pace and the dynamics of the match . "Let him see you," Samuel kept insisting to his protégé.

The American fans at Arthur Ashe began to shout "USA, USA... ". It was not a Davis Cup match. The noise in the largest main stadium in the world became deafening.

Ben let three 5-3 balls slip away because his opponent showed head, heart, and guts, his grandfather's motto. " Let's go ," the reigning champion kept saying.

Shelton secured the super "tie-break" and sent all the pressure to the other side of the net. He ultimately won the coin toss. His serve made the difference .

The American's victory guarantees the presence of a local tennis player in Sunday's final . The player who defeated Alcaraz will face his compatriot Frances Tiafoe this Friday. The US Open is left without Carlitos and the crowd without his celebrations.