Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was left impressed by the intensity of the Ben Shelton-Carlos Alcaraz battle at the US Open, describing their quarter-final clash as “some tennis” after a gripping five-set contest that went down to the final few points.Shelton stunned defending champion Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) in a dramatic encounter that lasted four hours and 28 minutes. The American held his nerve in the deciding tiebreak to pull off one of the biggest wins of his career.Taking to X, Tendulkar praised the fighting spirit shown by both players throughout the marathon contest.“That was some tennis! Every time it looked like one of them had the match, the other fought his way back. And then it came down to the final few points.Well played, Ben Shelton! Tough luck, Carlos. Coming back after an injury makes this one even tougher,” Tendulkar wrote.
A battle that refused to settle
Tendulkar’s assessment captured the nature of a match that swung repeatedly between Shelton and Alcaraz.Alcaraz took the opening set in a tiebreak, but Shelton responded emphatically, winning the next two sets to move within one of a place in the semi-finals. The Spaniard, however, refused to go quietly, taking the fourth set 6-1 and forcing a decider.The fifth set ultimately needed a 10-point tiebreak, with Shelton prevailing 10-7. He then finished the job in emphatic fashion, firing a 146 mph ace on match point. The contest also became the latest-finishing match in US Open history, ending at 3:33 a.m. in New York.
Shelton ends Alcaraz’s title defence
The victory ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and sent Shelton into the US Open semi-finals, where he will face fellow American Frances Tiafoe. It was also Shelton’s first career victory over a top-three opponent.For Alcaraz, the defeat came during his first tournament since a four-and-a-half-month layoff because of a right wrist injury. Despite the loss, the Spaniard said he was proud of how he fought back during the contest.
