The statistical data that highlight Shelton's victory over Alcaraz at the US Open
A memorable feat. That is what Ben Shelton has achieved by defeating Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open 2026. The American was able to overcome the Spaniard on his turf; matches lasting five sets and over 4 hours were the natural habitat of a nearly unbeatable Carlos in those contexts, while Shelton had a very poor record against top-3 ATP ranking opponents. He managed to turn it all around, as these statistical records show.
Goodbye to Shelton's curse against the top-3
He had lost all 17 matches against opponents who were ranked among the top 3 in the world at the time they faced him, winning only one set. Hence the tremendous merit of this success.
📊 For the first time in his career, after 17 defeats (and only 1 set won), Ben Shelton 🇺🇸 has won a match against one of the top 3 players in the World:
❌ vs Ruud (N°3)
❌ vs Alcaraz (N°1)
❌ vs Djokovic (N°2)
❌ vs Sinner (N°3)
❌ vs Sinner (N°1)
❌ vs Alcaraz (N°3)… pic.twitter.com/U3UBdQlfGr— Jeu, Set et Maths (@JeuSetMaths) September 9, 2026
Alcaraz's 15-1 record in five-set matches
Everything seemed to be going in favor of the Spaniard when the match went to the fifth set, with everyone aware that he had been victorious in the vast majority of five-set matches. Only Berrettini had beaten him at the 2022 Australian Open. But Shelton was not about to let his opportunity slip away.
📊 Carlos Alcaraz 🇪🇸 had never lost a match lasting more than 4h10.
✍️ The list of the 17 longest matches played by the Spaniard in his career:
✅ 5h29 vs Sinner 🇮🇹 (RG 2025)
✅ 5h27 vs Zverev 🇩🇪 (OA 2026)
✅ 5h15 vs Sinner 🇮🇹 (US 2022)
✅ 4h43 vs Djokovic… pic.twitter.com/aUY2uWqD7t— Jeu, Set et Maths (@JeuSetMaths) September 9, 2026
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Los datos estadísticos que engrandecen el triunfo de Shelton sobre Alcaraz en el US Open