Carlos Alcaraz shares 42-word message after epic US Open loss to Ben Shelton
Carlos Alcaraz sent a warm message to Ben Shelton as he reflected on his enthralling quarter-final defeat to the American at the 2026 US Open.
The world No 3 fell 7-6(5), 1-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(7) to ninth-ranked Shelton in a four-hour-and-28-minute thriller that finished at 3:33am on Wednesday in New York.
Alcaraz, who was the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows, was playing his first tournament since April — when he suffered a right wrist injury at the ATP 500 in Barcelona.
The 23-year-old Spanish star’s loss to Shelton ended his 18-match winning streak at Grand Slams — a run that included his triumphs at last year’s US Open and the 2026 Australian Open. Alcaraz missed both the French Open and Wimbledon this summer due to his wrist injury.
In a post on his Instagram account after his US Open campaign ended, Alcaraz wrote: “What a battle Ben! ❤️
“You deserve the win, I wish you the best for the rest of the tournament! 🙌🏻
“I leave here happy with my level after such a long injury. Thank you for the energy NYC! ⚡️ Always a very special place!”
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Alcaraz was asked what made the difference in the fifth set tiebreak against Shelton when he spoke to reporters after the match.
“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 [against Jannik Sinner last year]; 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 unknown 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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