beyond the back page Ben Shelton’s late-night epic and a day of wild possibility at the U.S. Open By Andrew Crane Published Sep. 9, 2026, 8:09 a.m. ET Ben Shelton celebrates after winning against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal round of the U.S. Open on Sept. 9, 2026. AP Photo/Heather Khalifa These are the moments that make it feel like it’s possible.
When Ben Shelton fired a 146 mph ace past Carlos Alcaraz at 3:33 a.m. — the latest-ever finish in a history of U.S. Opens full of them — to end the thriller that needed four hours, 28 minutes, five sets and a grand finale of a tiebreak.
When No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe stunned unseeded 22-year-old Alex Michelsen after trailing by two sets, soaring back into the semifinals at Flushing Meadows for the third time in his career.
This was all supposed to fall in favor of the Americans. This was supposed to be their chance, with Jannik Sinner out due to a lingering right knee injury and Alcaraz just returning from an absence of his own and so many other top names already eliminated from the U.S. Open draw. This, more succinctly, was supposed to be the year they ended the Grand Slam title drought that dates back to Andy Roddick in 2003.
