Flushing Meadows: Alcaraz loses the title after defeats to Shelton and Sablevka in the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year

World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz lost his title at the US Open, falling in the quarterfinals to eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 3-6, 6-1, and 6-7 (7-10). The match concluded after 3:30 a.m. local time in New York.

Meanwhile, world No. 1 women’s player Aryna Sabalenka continued her march toward a third consecutive major title, reaching the semifinals for the sixth straight year with a grueling victory over sixth-seeded Czech Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, 7-6 (7-1), 3-6, and 7-6 (10-7).

The match, which ended at 3:33 a.m. local time, marked the longest early-morning session in US Open history, lasting four hours and 28 minutes. Alcaraz’s winning streak in Grand Slam tournaments came to an end at 18 consecutive matches, suffering his first loss to Shelton, who is also 23 years old, in their four previous meetings.

Shelton will play in his second semifinal at Flushing Meadows, following his first in 2023, where he will face fellow American Francis Tiafoe, the 11th seed. Tiafoe staged a thrilling comeback on Tuesday, overturning a two-set deficit to defeat compatriot Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, and 7-6 (7-10), after also trailing 0-3 in the fifth set.

Shelton thanked the New York crowd for staying until such a late hour, saying, “I always say this is the greatest sports city in the world. And I say this is the greatest stadium in the world.” He added, “Sharing the court with Carlos is also a great honor, and I cherish every moment I spend here.”

After a highly competitive first set that Alcaraz won in a tiebreak, the Spaniard’s level dropped noticeably. He lost precision in his forehands, committing 31 unforced errors out of 53 total shots, while Shelton continued to deliver powerful groundstrokes.

Alcaraz’s decline continued in the third set as Shelton increased the pace of his shots, forcing the Spaniard to struggle to return them to his opponent’s side. Alcaraz managed to halt a streak of nine consecutive games won by Shelton and even earned a break point when the American was serving to take the set leading 5-3. However, Shelton forced his rival to run all over the court, ultimately securing the set as the defending champion succumbed to the pressure.

Shelton showed signs of fatigue in the fourth set, which Alcaraz capitalized on to win key points before taking the set in a clean break.

The decisive fifth set became intensely tight. Alcaraz had a break point opportunity at 2-2, and Shelton later had a similar chance when leading 4-3. The set eventually went to a super tiebreak, decided by the first player to reach 10 points. A new error from Alcaraz gifted Shelton a match point, which he converted with a powerful ace clocked at over 238 km/h—the seventh ace of the match—securing victory in the early morning hours.

Sabalenka, on the other hand, required two hours and 22 minutes to reach the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year.

After the arduous match, which she concluded with a match-winning ace, the Belarusian said, “What a battle. I pushed myself to the absolute limit in this match, especially in the third set. Honestly, I thought the match was over (for Noskova), and that helped me play more freely and take risks with my shots.”

The Belarusian player, who is set to relinquish the top spot in the world rankings to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina if the latter defeats China’s Zheng Qinwen to reach the semifinals, faces her next test against American Jessica Pegula, the third seed. Pegula advanced to the semifinals for the second consecutive year by defeating her compatriot Emma Navarro, the 26th seed, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3.

The quarterfinal clash between Sabalenka and Noskova, who is reaching this stage of the US Open for the first time, was a rematch of the 2023 Adelaide final and this year’s Indian Wells Masters 1000 semifinal, where Sabalenka also emerged victorious, winning both matches in straight sets.

Sabalenka believed she had created a decisive gap in the first set when she broke her opponent’s serve to win the fourth game, taking a 3-1 lead, and then extended it to 4-1 on her own serve.

However, the Czech player fought back, breaking back in the ninth game from her first opportunity, leveling the set at 5-5 and then 6-6. The set went to a tiebreak, which Sabalenka dominated completely, racing to a 6-0 lead before closing it out 7-1.

In contrast to the first set, Sabalenka struggled to create separation in the second, despite having a break opportunity in the fifth game that she failed to convert. Noskova took a 3-2 lead, then 5-2, after breaking Sabalenka’s serve in the sixth game.

The Czech player then had a chance to close out the set at 6-2 against Sabalenka’s serve but missed it. She broke back in the ninth game to win the set 6-3, forcing a decisive third set. The decider began with Noskova holding a break point in the second game, which she failed to convert. She paid the price, falling behind 2-4 after losing her serve in the fifth game.

But she refused to surrender, leveling the set at 4-4 against Sabalenka’s serve, then taking a 5-4 and 6-5 lead. The match went to a match tiebreak, which Sabalenka won 10-7 with a dominant serve, securing a hard-fought victory.

The two will meet again in the semifinals against Pegula, who lost the 2024 final to Sabalenka and was also eliminated by her in last year’s semifinals.