Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz delivered one of the standout matches of the US Open quarter-finals, with the American advancing to the last four at his home Grand Slam.

Their contest was a high-quality five-set battle that needed a deciding tie-break and did not end until after 3:30am. Coming only days after new Australian Open chief Andrew Abdo suggested the Melbourne major could one day move away from best-of-five-set matches, the timing of this match added extra weight to the discussion.

The meeting offered a strong argument for the format’s staying power. Feliciano Lopez, who was covering the match for Spanish television, made his view clear on social media: “One small reflection on the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. Long live the five sets.

“It’s a shame that one has to lose, tennis is cruel but fascinating at the same time. Carlitos is healthy! Thanks to all the brave souls who joined us this past early morning.”

Shelton now turns his attention to a semi-final against compatriot Frances Tiafoe on Friday, 11 September on Arthur Ashe. It will be their fourth competitive meeting, with Shelton holding a 3-1 lead in the head-to-head. Tiafoe’s only win over Shelton came at the US Open in 2024, when he beat him in a five-set match in the round of 32.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, will not return to action for around two weeks. His next event is the Laver Cup at The O2 Arena in London from September 25th to 27th, where he is set to represent Yannick Noah’s Team Europe again after appearing in 2024 and 2025.

Shelton is also scheduled for the Laver Cup, where he will play for Andre Agassi’s Team World. After that, both players are due at the Japan Open from September 30th to October 6th. Alcaraz is the defending champion after defeating Fritz in the 2025 final, while Shelton has not played the event since 2024.

New Australian Open chief Andrew Abdo has sparked debate by floating the possibility that Grand Slam tennis could move away from best-of-five sets in future editions.

“Maybe in the future, Slams at the different rounds or at different lengths of duration, you know, maybe we’re not playing best of 5 all the way through, maybe the point scoring system changes,” said Abdo, which has been heavily criticised by fans and pundits.

The reaction was immediate, and after two high-profile Grand Slam quarter finals between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen, the Australian Open moved quickly to temper the discussion.

“While innovation is part of the Australian Open’s DNA, five-set tennis is here to say,” said the Grand Slam sheepishly in a social media message.

Even so, the issue remains alive because of the late finishes that have become a concern, with several matches at this year’s US Open ending in the early hours of the morning.

Speaking on The Tennis Channel, Jim Courier made clear that he is not in favour of removing best-of-five matches from Grand Slams. He did, however, suggest that a different change could help shorten matches.

“It’s sort of linked to the history of the sport, right, how we compare generations of players,” said the American. “How do they do in this type of format? But it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be forever. I don’t know if it’s gonna happen in Australia.

“I find it interesting that as Craig Tiley was getting ready to leave the Australian Open, one of his parting shots, he said he thinks that there’s such an appetite for the sport that the women should play best of five from the quarterfinals on.

“I mean, I think eventually we are going to have to evolve, and I think the first little move forward will probably and should be, let’s go to no ad scoring, which will shrink the length of matches somewhat.

“And you got people who are permanent sports voices like Bill Simmons weighing in on how late the matches are going. This is a very topical thing right now.”

Best-of-five is used only at the four majors: the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open. Every other event on the calendar, including the nine Masters tournaments, is played best of three. The central issue, though, appears to be scheduling rather than match length alone.

Ben Shelton has long been billed as tennis’ next major force, but his US Open quarter final against Carlos Alcaraz felt like a different kind of statement. The American, who had previously lost all 18 of his matches against players ranked inside the top three, finally overturned that pattern with one of the best performances of his career.

Shelton beat Alcaraz in a high-quality five-set battle that was not settled until after 3:30am on Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was the sort of match that confirmed how far he has come, especially under the pressure of facing one of the tour’s elite names deep into a major.

Andy Roddick was particularly taken with what Shelton produced. Speaking on Served, Roddick said: “It felt like such a massive growth match for Ben Shelton, using that big lefty serve, running it in on his [Alcaraz’s] body at 145[MPH].”

Roddick also argued that Shelton possesses a weapon no one else can truly replicate when it is functioning at that level. “That’s a superpower he has that no one else on earth has,” explained Roddick. “It, i’m smiling as I say this, sets up an all-American match with Frances Tiafoe. We will have an American playing for the US Open title.”

The road ahead remains demanding, even if the draw has opened up. Shelton is the second highest ranked player still in the event, and the exits of Jannik Sinner, Alcaraz, and Novak Djokovic leave him in a promising position.

He takes a 3-1 head-to-head lead into his meeting with Tiafoe, although they have not played since the 2025 season. Shelton has beaten him at the Washington Open, the Houston Open, and the US Open, with Tiafoe’s only win in the series also coming at the US Open in 2024.

If Shelton reaches his first US Open final, Alexander Zverev is the most likely opponent. That would present another severe test, as Shelton has lost all five of his career meetings with Zverev, including four in 2025. Only two of those defeats came on hardcourt, however, which gives him at least some reason to believe he can compete strongly on home soil.