Carlos Alcaraz: “I Leave the Court with a Smile, Healthy, and This Is What I Needed” — Defending Champion Upbeat Despite Historic Late-Night US Open Exit
The reign of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows came to a dramatic, historic close in the early hours of Wednesday morning. In a breathtaking quarterfinal battle inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, American powerhouse Ben Shelton dethroned the World No. 3 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10/7).
The four-hour, 28-minute marathon concluded at 3:33 a.m. local time, officially marking the latest finish in US Open history. Yet, despite the sting of a narrow deciding-set tiebreak defeat, Alcaraz left New York holding his head high.
Returning to Grand Slam competition following a four-month layoff due to a right wrist injury, the 23-year-old Spaniard emphasized the immense positivity of completing a grueling fortnight without physical setbacks.
“As I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete, play in these kinds of matches, for me being healthy,” Alcaraz told reporters in his post-match press conference. “It was close. It was close. So I’m just not going to be disappointed about not getting the win at the end. I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought.”
“After the third set, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and to physically give extra. In the fifth set I just started to feel better and better, but I was playing against one of the [best]. He is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just managed to play really, really well in every situation, so credit to him,” Alcaraz added.
“But I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
The Deciding Factor: Shelton’s Lethal Serve
Having previously won a 10-point deciding tiebreak against Jannik Sinner en route to his 2025 Roland Garros title, Alcaraz appeared poised to repeat the feat after building a 5/3 lead in the tiebreak. However, Shelton unleashed his trademark booming serve to claim seven of the final nine points, sealing a monumental victory in front of a raucous home crowd.
Reflecting on the final moments, Alcaraz acknowledged how difficult it is to neutralize a premier server under pressure.
“The serve is a really good weapon in these kinds of situations, but sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” Alcaraz explained. “I remember the last [10-point] tie-break that I played, it was in Paris. It was an unbelievable game that I played in that moment. This time, when you are trying to fight and trying to overcome all the problems you might have physically and obviously when he is serving, he puts a lot of pressure on you.”
“You are thinking about, ‘Alright, try to put the return in’. It’s an unknown if you are going to play the point or if he’s going to get a free point with the serve. 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 those moments.”
Solid Foundation for the Season Finale
Despite seeing his 18-match Grand Slam winning streak come to an end, Alcaraz leaves Queens with a formidable 26-4 season record, highlighted by his Australian Open title in January.
Sitting comfortably third in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, the two-time US Open champion remains in prime position to qualify for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year as he turns his focus toward the autumn hard-court swing.
