ALCARAZ vs SHELTON | US Open 2026 QF | Tennis Talk Preview

Duration: 2:07 570 transcript words EN summary

Video summary

The US Open 2026 quarterfinal features a blockbuster matchup between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton, two players who have taken distinctly different paths to reach this stage. Shelton entered as the eighth seed and faced a grueling tournament where he split the first two sets in his opening three matches against Grégoire, Hurkacz, and Shapovalov before fighting back to win each in four sets. His fourth-round victory over Tsitsipas came easily in straight sets after the Greek star had defeated Fritz and Lehecka earlier, allowing Shelton to advance without dropping a set in that round. In contrast, Alcaraz entered as the second seed and navigated his way through the draw with relative ease compared to Shelton's dramatic comebacks. He defeated Safiullin and Wu in straight sets in the first and third rounds, respectively, while overcoming Faria after losing the opening set in the second round. His most significant test came in the fourth round against Paul, who had just survived an epic five-setter against Bublik, yet Alcaraz still managed to secure a straight-sets victory to reach the quarterfinals. The two rivals have met three times previously with Alcaraz winning all encounters, though they have not faced each other for over a year since their last meeting on clay at Roland Garros where Shelton notably took a set from him. Now playing in front of his home crowd and fresh off another Canadian Open title, Shelton will look to leverage his powerful serve and aggressive baseline play to bully Alcaraz around the court. While Alcaraz has looked sharp throughout the week despite missing four months of tennis, he will need to rely on his defensive skills and ability to handle big serves if he hopes to overcome Shelton's offensive firepower. The analyst predicts a thrilling contest that ultimately favors Alcaraz in a four-setter, citing his proven clutch performance in tiebreaks as the deciding factor. Although Shelton possesses the serve required to challenge Alcaraz, the Spaniard's experience and ability to rally under pressure should allow him to secure the win if the match extends beyond two sets. The preview concludes by inviting viewers to weigh in on their predictions for this exciting quarterfinal clash that promises to showcase the contrasting styles of these top-tier players.

Read the full video transcript

Carlos Alcaraz versus Ben Shelton is a blockbuster quarterfinal match up over at the US Open for 2026. And both guys have had different roads to get to this stage. Shelton entered the tournament as the number eight seed and would take on Gregoire in the first round. And after splitting the first two sets, he'd fight back in four, 1-6 6-1 7-6 6-2. In the second round, he'd take on Hurkacz. And again, after splitting the first two sets, he'd fight back to win, 6-3 5-7 7-6 7-5. In the third round, he'd take on Shapovalov. And again, after splitting the first two sets, he'd fight back in four, 7-6 6-7 6-3 6-4. In the fourth round, he'd take on Tsitsipas, who'd taken out Fritz and Lehecka on the way. It was no problem for Shelton getting through in straight 6-2 6-3 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. Alcaraz entered the tournament as the number two seed and would take on Safiullin in the first round. It was no problem getting through in straight 6-4 6-4 6-4. In the second round, he'd take on Faria. And after dropping the first set, he'd fight back to win, 4-6 6-0 6-3 6-2. In the third round, he'd take on Wu. And again, no problem getting through in straight 6-3 6-4 6-1. In the fourth round, he'd take on Paul, who'd just played an epic five-setter against Bublik in the third round. But again, no problem for Alcaraz getting through in straight 6-4 6-3 6-4 to advance to the quarterfinals. These two have played three times before with Alcaraz winning all three matches. They haven't played for over a year, and that was on the clay courts of Roland Garros where Shelton actually got a set against Alcaraz, which was a little bit of a surprise on the clay. So, being in front of his home crowd here, and also coming off winning Canada again, it'll be really interesting to see how Carlos handles him. Shelton's going to win this one, it's all about the serve. He's got to serve big, but also try and bully Alcaraz around the baseline. We haven't really seen anyone consistently be able to bully him this week. We did see Paul early in the match sort of really power overpower Alcaraz, but Shelton's got that serve. So, Shelton needs to use that serve and that forehand if he's going to get the win. If Alcaraz is going to win this one, he needs to be at his defensive best, but also serve well as well. He's been playing so well this week, and he hasn't looked like he's missed a month off tennis, and he has in fact missed four. So, he's looked great this week. If he just keeps doing what he's doing, and just returns the serve and able to rally, he should be able to get the win. Fun match up here. Really interesting to see how Shelton does. And the big test for Alcaraz for the The time this tournament, but I have to go with Alcaraz in a four-setter. I reckon he would just get it done in the end. He'll just be clutch enough to maybe win the tie breaks if it does go to that in you know, the first or second or third set, but let me know in the comments below who's going to win this one.