Ben Shelton defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the 2026 US Open on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The crossover between days was part of what made the match memorable, but why many people likely missed the action.
The match didn't start until a bit after 11 pm ET and didn't finish until 3:34 am ET. What other sport would allow such an important match to be played at a time when even local fans would likely miss it? Only tennis, and that is part of the problem,
No matter what happened in the match, even if Shelton or Alcaraz had won in straight sets, the schedule should still have had the match beginning at 8 pm ET. Instead, the major had two-day matches and then two evening matches, when three and one, respectively, would have worked better.
Ben Shelton defeats Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open in a match many likely missed
That is what is happening on Wednesday, which means the evening match between Alexander Zverev and Botic Van De Zandschulp should begin close to its 7:30 pm start time. Even if the earlier matches go long, as happened on Tuesday, the evening match should start at 8:30 pm.
What unfolded between Shelton and Alcaraz was magical, brilliant tennis between two excellent players. One is a multi-time Grand Slam champion (Alcaraz, of course), and the other (Shelton) has a good chance of winning his first major in New York this year. Those in the stands at Arthur Ashe Stadium were delighted, but many fans at home had probably gone to bed.
IN the morning, national sports talk shows were discussing the match a lot, instead of focusing on the opening of the NFL season. Maybe tennis doesn't get discussed in the United States anyway, but there were reasons to talk about the match.
The main point was that an American had just beaten Carlos Alcaraz, moving one step closer to becoming the first US man to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Even fans in the UK would have been fast asleep when the match started and would be beginning their day jobs by the time the match ended. Perhaps that would be the case with an 8 pm ET start time, too, but at least those in New York and the rest of the eastern part of the United States would have been able to see the match without losing much sleep.
In the end, Ben Shelton won 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7). The first set was one where the two players tried to outpace one another with groundstrokes, and Shelton made his presence known even while dropping the set. He had to get a break of Alcaraz to force the tie-break.
By the fifth set, Alcaraz was throwing up into his towel, but still with enough energy to get to an epic tie-break. Shelton likely played the best match of his life, but Alcaraz didn't play poorly.
Next for Ben Shelton is Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals. That match will be held on Friday, thankfully. Shelton has two days to recover before trying to reach the final.
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