Shelton-Alcaraz Marathon Ends at 3:33 a.m. After Four-and-a-Half Hours, Sets New US Open Record
New York: The US Open quarter-final between American 23-year-old Ben Shelton and Spanish 23-year-old Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday lasted four hours and 28 minutes. In the five-set marathon, world No. 3 Shelton registered a thrilling 5-7, 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 10-7 victory over defending champion Alcaraz.
According to US time, the match started at 11:05 p.m. on Tuesday night after several earlier matches were delayed, and ended at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday. It set a new record among the latest-finishing matches in US Open history. The match began late Tuesday night and concluded in the early hours of Wednesday. According to Indian Standard Time, the match started at 8:35 a.m. on Wednesday and ended at around 1:03 p.m.
Alcaraz had remained unbeaten in his last 18 matches at Grand Slam tournaments, but Shelton brought his winning run to an end.
After his victory, Shelton said, “I’m very tired. It feels like I’ve been through a war. Alcaraz is one of the greatest champions. I’ve never enjoyed a match as much as this one in my career.” In the women’s quarter-final, Aryna Sabalenka defeated Linda Noskova 7-1, 3-6, 10-7.