The serious consequences on the ATP ranking of Alcaraz's defeat at the US Open

It couldn't be. Carlos Alcaraz said goodbye to the US Open 2026 in the quarter-finals after losing an agonizing match against Ben Shelton. The Spaniard left it all on the court, but ultimately succumbed in the super tiebreak of the fifth set, bidding farewell to his dream of winning his eighth Grand Slam title in New York and seeing his position in the ATP ranking significantly affected.

In defending the title he won last year, the Spaniard loses a staggering 1,600 points in the official ranking, leaving him with 5,560 points and being far from the top-2. In fact, Zverev is already over 2,500 points ahead of him and could extend that gap if he continues to advance in the US Open. The dream of regaining the number 1 spot in the short term is completely fading for Carlos, who must keep an eye on other rivals in the rearview mirror.

Shelton could position himself very close to Alcaraz in the ATP ranking

And Ben Shelton could find himself very close to him if he makes it to the final or wins the tournament. If he becomes the champion in Flushing Meadows, the American would be 180 points behind, while reaching the final would leave him 870 points away. A real shame for Alcaraz, who cannot blame himself and who left it all on the line for a victory that slipped away due to small details.

The Murcian now has some interesting months ahead, during which he will try to seek another major title in Shanghai and Paris, although his biggest challenge will be the ATP Finals. There are three spots where he has never managed to reign, so he needs to mentally regroup as soon as possible after this defeat to start focusing on these goals. A heavy blow on a moral level with this defeat at the US Open 2026 for a Carlos Alcaraz who suffers the consequences in the ATP ranking.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Las graves consecuencias en el ranking ATP de la derrota de Alcaraz en el US Open