The American won 6–7 (5–7), 6–1, 6–3, 1–6, 7–6 (10–8).
The match was not finished until after 3:30 in the morning, after 4.5 hours of play. Never before has a match at Flushing Meadows in New York ended so late at night. The previous longest match ended at 2:50 a.m. - when Carlos Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the quarter-finals in 2022.
At the press conference afterwards, 23-year-old Ben Shelton paid tribute to his Spanish opponent.
"Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport at the age of 23. It's always fun to play against him. It's amazing what he can come up with - this was the most enjoyable match I've played in my entire career," Shelton said, according to AFP.
Both disappointed and happy
It was also Shelton's first win over a top-three-ranked player. Alcaraz, who was world number one, is seeded second in the US Open.
The Spaniard had been out of action for four months with a wrist injury, missing the French Open and Wimbledon, before returning to action at the US Open.
"It was very close so I'm disappointed I couldn't win. But I'm happy and proud of how I fought," Alcaraz said at the press conference, according to AP.
American in the final
The loss to Shelton snapped his 18-match winning streak in Grand Slams. Alcaraz won the Australian Open in January and before that the US Open last year.
Shelton has reached the semifinals once before at the US Open, in 2023. In this year's semifinals, he will face compatriot Frances Tiafoe, which means there will be an American finalist. No male player from the United States has won the US Open in 23 years (Andy Roddick).
