‘That was tennis!’: Sachin Tendulkar in awe of Ben Shelton’s epic win over Carlos Alcaraz at US Open 2026

Sachin hails Shelton’s big win over Alcaraz (Agency Images) Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar was impressed by the intensity of the Ben Shelton-Carlos Alcaraz battle at the US Open, describing their quarter-final clash as “some tennis” after a tense five-set match that came down to the last few points.Shelton stunned defending champion Alcaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10-7) in a dramatic encounter that lasted four hours and 28 minutes. The American held his nerve in the deciding tiebreak to achieve one of the biggest wins of his career.Tendulkar, who made it to the X, praised the fighting spirit shown by both the players during the marathon contest.“That was a bit of tennis! Every time it looked like one of them had the match, the other fought back. And then it came down to the last few points.”Well played Ben Shelton! Good luck Carlos. Coming back from injury makes this even tougher,” Tendulkar wrote.

A battle that refused to settle

Tendulkar’s assessment captured the back-and-forth nature of the match between Shelton and Alcaraz.Alcaraz took the opening set in a tiebreak, but Shelton responded strongly to win the next two sets to move up one spot in the semifinals. However, the Spaniard refused to go quietly, taking the fourth set 6-1 to force a decider.The fifth set ended up needing a 10-point tiebreak, with Shelton winning 10-7. He then finished the job in emphatic fashion, firing a 146 mph ace for match point. The contest also became the last final match in US Open history, ending at 3:33 a.m. in New York.

Shelton ends Alcaraz’s title defense

The win ended Alcaraz’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and sent Shelton into the US Open semifinals, where she will face American Frances Tiafoe. It was also Shelton’s first career victory over a top-three opponent.For Alcaraz, the defeat came during his first tournament since a four-and-a-half-month layoff due to a right wrist injury. Despite the loss, the Spaniard said he was proud of how he fought throughout the competition.