Carlos Alcaraz spoke candidly after his title defence at the 2026 US Open ended with an epic five-set defeat to Ben Shelton.
No 2 seed Alcaraz was beaten 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) by eighth seed Shelton in the US Open quarter-finals in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The match lasted four hours and 28 minutes and concluded at 3:33am in New York — the latest finish in US Open history.
Alcaraz’s loss ended his 18-match win streak at Grand Slams and his 12-match win streak in matches decided by a fifth set.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Alcaraz said he was “happy” and “proud.”
“Well, as I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete, play in these kinds of matches, for me, being healthy,” said the 23-year-old Spaniard.
“So, it was close. It was close. So, I’m just a little bit disappointed about not getting the win, but I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought.
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“After the third set, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and physically give extra.
“In the fifth set, I just started to feel better and better. But I was playing against someone that is a beast. Shelton is an unbelievable player and powerful. He just managed how to play really well in every situation, so credit to him.
“But I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
Asked what made the difference in the fifth set tiebreak, Alcaraz highlighted Shelton’s serve.
“Well, the serve is a really good weapon in these kind of situations. But sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” said the seven-time Grand Slam champion.
“I remember the last [fifth set] tiebreak that I played was in Paris, it was an unbelievable game that I played during that moment.
“This time, when you’re trying to fight, and trying to overcome all the problems that you might have, physically tired a lot.
“And obviously, when he’s serving, he puts a lot of pressure on you. You’re thinking about trying to put the return in, and it’s an unkonwn that, if you’re gonna play the point or he’s gonna get a free point with the serve.
“So, 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 these moments.”
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