Ben Shelton booked his place in another US Open quarter-final after beating Stefanos Tsitsipas on Sunday.
The American triumphed 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 against the two-time major finalist, ending one of the oldest streaks in tennis history.
In beating the Greek star, Shelton has set up an enticing contest with seven-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Who wins the US Open quarter-final: Carlos Alcaraz or Ben Shelton?
What do you think the score will be?
Shelton has a poor record against the Spaniard – he has lost all three of their previous meetings on the Tour.
Could the 23-year-old emerge victorious on this occasion?
Ben Shelton needs to pin Carlos Alcaraz in the backhand corner
If Ben Shelton allows Carlos Alcaraz to dictate with his forehand, there is little to no chance that the American advances.
Shelton’s left-handed forehand is one of his greatest strengths, and he must utilise it effectively against Alcaraz.
Being a left-hander, Shelton will have the opportunity to pin Alcaraz – who is right-handed – onto the backhand wing.
Doing so will grant Shelton greater control of baseline rallies and reduce the Spaniard’s ability to move up the court.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Ben Shelton on the ATP Tour
- Alcaraz defeated Shelton 6-3, 7-6 at the 2024 Canadian Open
- Alcaraz defeated Shelton 6-4, 6-4 at the 2024 Laver Cup
- Alcaraz defeated Shelton 7-6, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at the 2025 French Open
Ben Shelton needs to use his kick serve effectively
Alcaraz comfortably defeated Tommy Paul on Sunday.
A key factor in this victory was Alcaraz’s positioning on return.
The Spaniard chose to return from a very deep position, sacrificing his chances of reaching wide, angled serves for the ability to generate greater power and ‘rip’ off the return.
One expects a similar game plan to be employed against big-serving Ben Shelton.
To combat Alcaraz’s positioning, Shelton will need to utilise his excellent kick serve to great effect.
Doing so would result in Alcaraz having to take the ball on above shoulder height, reducing his ability to generate pace and power.
“He is a really powerful player and he can make any shot,” Alcaraz said after beating Shelton at Roland Garros last year.
“Serves at 230 kph. It’s unbelievable.”
| Player | Serve Impact % [Tennis Abstract data] |
| Hubert Hurkacz | 46 |
| Ben Shelton | 45.9 |
| Taylor Fritz | 43.7 |
| Yannick Hanfmann | 43.1 |
| Tallon Griekspoor | 42.6 |
| Matteo Berrettini | 42.5 |
| Alexander Zverev | 42.3 |
| Jannik Sinner | 42.1 |
| Felix Auger-Aliassime | 41.7 |
| Brandon Nakashima | 41.4 |
Ben Shelton must look to approach the net as often as possible
The more time Alcaraz has before hitting a shot, the more lethal he becomes.
Therefore, Shelton needs to find a way to rush the second seed.
One way of doing so would be to utilise the net game.
Shelton has improved his net game over the last year: he has won 69.5 per cent of his net points in the last 52 weeks, as per Tennis Abstract.
This figure is 3.6 per cent above his career average.
Shelton must use his improved net play to disrupt Alcaraz’s imperious baseline play and give himself a chance of emerging victorious later this week.
