Carlos Alcaraz has shared a heartfelt statement after crashing out of the US Open in a marathon five-setter that ended at 3.33am on Wednesday morning – the latest finish in tournament history. The defending champion lost to Ben Shelton in a match tiebreak, 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(7) after four hours and 28 minutes.
Alcaraz takes positives from comeback
The US Open was Alcaraz's first tournament in four-and-a-half months, after a wrist injury wrecked his season. But he took the positives after reaching the quarter-finals and holding up physically during the late-night battle.
And the world No. 3 has now echoed that sentiment in an emotional social media post, shared roughly 11 hours after he left the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
“What a battle Ben! You deserve the win, I wish you the best for the rest of the tournament!” Alcaraz wrote. “I leave here happy with my level after such a long injury. Thank you for the energy NYC! Always a very special place!”
No disappointment despite near-miss
Alcaraz was grinning from ear to ear as he walked down the Arthur Ashe Stadium tunnel moments after losing. Speaking shortly after his quarter-final exit, the Spaniard explained that he got what he'd needed from his comeback tournament.
“As I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, you know, compete, play in these kinds of matches for me being healthy. It was close. It was close. So I'm just not going to be disappointed about [not] getting the win at the end. You know, I'm just happy. I'm just proud about myself, about how I fought,” he said.
“After the third set, physically I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and, you know, physically giving extra. In the fifth set, I just started to feel better and better, but you know, he is a beast.
Next steps for Alcaraz and Shelton
“Shelton is an unbelievable player, powerful. He just managed how to play really, really well in every situation, so credit to him. But, you know, I leave the court happy. I leave the court with a smile, healthy, and this is what I needed.”
Alcaraz is next set to play the Laver Cup, a Ryder Cup-style team tournament descending on London's O2 Arena from September 25 to 27. He will then head to Tokyo to try and defend his ATP 500 title there, and is expected to return to the Shanghai Masters for the first time since 2024.
As for Shelton, he faces another very familiar opponent in the semi-finals, in countryman Frances Tiafoe. The No. 11 seed also went the distance in his own quarter-final match against Alex Michelsen, coming from two sets and 3-5 down to win 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6(6).
