Carlos Alcaraz offered Ben Shelton a gracious message after his US Open quarter-final defeat to the American in New York.

The world No. 3 was edged 7-6(5), 1-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(7) in a dramatic contest that lasted four hours and 28 minutes and ended at 3:33am on Wednesday. Shelton, ranked ninth, came through the decisive moments in a match that pushed both players deep into the night.

For Alcaraz, the defeat brought an end to his reign at Flushing Meadows. It also snapped an 18-match winning streak in Grand Slam play, a run that included titles at last year’s US Open and the 2026 Australian Open. The 23-year-old Spaniard had missed the French Open and Wimbledon during the summer because of a right wrist injury, and this was his first tournament appearance since April, when he was hurt at the ATP 500 event in Barcelona.

After his campaign finished, Alcaraz turned to Instagram and posted a short tribute to Shelton. He 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!”

He later reflected on the difference in the fifth-set tiebreak when speaking to reporters. “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.”

Carlos Alcaraz’s late-night loss to Ben Shelton has prompted a strong response from inside his own camp, with one key team member directing a clear criticism at US Open organisers.

Alcaraz was beaten in five sets by Shelton in a quarter-final that did not begin until after 11pm on Tuesday and finished at 3:33am on Wednesday. That made it the latest finish in the tournament’s history.

The match was the fourth scheduled in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday, following the men’s quarter-final between Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen, along with two women’s quarter-finals. Every one of the four matches went to a deciding set, while three were settled by a match tiebreak in the final set.

After the match, Alberto Lledo, Alcaraz’s fitness trainer, said the scheduling crossed a line from a physical standpoint. He wrote on Instagram: “On some occasions, I know (I say this humbly) that performance is not synonymous with health,” Lledo wrote on Instagram.

He added: “We have to adapt to any circumstance, and whoever does it first gains a competitive edge, but starting a 5-set tennis match at 11pm is anything but healthy for an athlete.”

The US Open’s scheduling approach has drawn wider scrutiny since the Shelton-Alcaraz contest. Paolo Bertolucci, the former Italian player and current Sky commentator in Italy, also reacted strongly on X/Twitter.

“They’ve decided to kill tennis,” wrote Bertolucci, who won six ATP Tour singles titles and peaked at world No 12.

“Over four hours of a match that ends at 3:30 in the morning. Then they despair over absences due to injuries. Shame!!!

“Asking an athlete to perform at 3 a.m. means pursuing a diabolical plan designed to destroy tennis.”

Alcaraz, meanwhile, said after the defeat: “Well, as I said before the tournament began, my expectation was to go there, compete, play in these kinds of matches, for me, being healthy.

“So, it was close. It was close. So, I’m just a little bit disappointed about not getting the win, but I’m just happy. I’m just proud about myself, about how I fought.

Mirra Andreeva and Qinwen Zheng both saw their 2026 US Open campaigns end in the quarter-finals, but their runs still brought significant gains in ranking points, prize money and live ranking position.

Zheng, who once reached world No 4 and is now ranked 121st, fell 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to second seed Elena Rybakina on Wednesday. Her path to the last eight included victories over Kristina Liutova, Yulia Putintseva, Madison Keys and Iga Swiatek, as well as three qualifying wins to get into the main draw in New York. That result marked her third appearance in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows.

Andreeva’s run ended one round later in the draw after fifth seed Coco Gauff beat her 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 in the fourth and final women’s quarter-final. The 19-year-old Russian had earlier defeated Janice Tjen, Eva Lys, Nikola Bartunkova and Anastasia Potapova to reach her first US Open semi-final.

Despite the defeats, both players earned 430 WTA ranking points for making the quarter-finals at the year’s final major. Andreeva started the tournament at a career-high No 5 and remains fifth in the Live WTA Rankings, moving up by 300 points to 5,743. Zheng climbed sharply from No 121 to 52nd in the Live Rankings after adding 470 points to reach 1,083.

The financial return was identical as well. Andreeva and Zheng each collected $780,000 for reaching the final eight at Flushing Meadows.

US Open 2026 WTA ranking points breakdown: First Round 10, Second Round 70, Third Round 130, Fourth Round 240, Quarter-finals 430, Semi-finals 780, Finalist 1300, Champion 2000.

US Open 2026 WTA prize money breakdown: First Round $190,000, Second Round $190,000, Third Round $290,000, Fourth Round $480,000, Quarter-finals $780,000, Semi-finals $1.45 million, Finalist $2.8 million, Champion $5.5 million.