Stefanos Tsitsipas had a 150-year-old streak to save, but standing in his way was Ben Shelton, who didn’t care about anything other than getting to the quarters. And after defeating the Greek, Shelton has given us a glimpse of what awaits Flushing Meadows when he faces Carlos Alcaraz.

When asked about what he needs to do to beat the Spaniard, Shelton said, “Special tennis. I think the level he’s been playing at is really, really impressive… I think it’s gonna be fireworks on Tuesday night. I hope you guys come back, because I’m ready to go.”

Ben Shelton finally got the straight-set win he had been waiting for all along at this US Open. Instead of another long battle, he completely controlled Stefanos Tsitsipas and never gave him a chance to get into the game. Shelton fired 12 aces, never faced a break point, and won 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 in 1 hour and 52 minutes.

This time, he took control immediately and never allowed the Greek to settle. The first set lasted only 31 minutes. “I played a complete match from start to finish,” Shelton said after winning.

Now, that performance has given him confidence before facing defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in New York. The defending champion beat Tommy Paul 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 and reached his 5th US Open quarter-final in 6 appearances. Alcaraz has also won 18 straight Grand Slam matches, with 11 of those victories coming at Flushing Meadows.

After nearly 5 months away with a wrist injury, he has looked better with every match.

Shelton knows exactly what is waiting for him, but he is not backing away from it. “I think the level that he’s been playing at is really, really impressive,” Shelton said.

He also added, “To not play for 5 months, then do what he’s done so far this tournament has been superhuman.”

But Alcaraz is not the only thing standing between Shelton and a deep US Open run. Shelton is also chasing America’s first men’s Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick won this tournament in 2003. And if that pressure wasn’t enough, the problems for the American just got bigger.

There was one distinct feature of Alcaraz’s game against Paul that could prove to be dangerous for Shelton. 

Alcaraz started to mix his usual aggression with shots that kept his opponent very uncomfortable. He started to push back on Paul so hard that the American simply couldn’t play the shots he wanted and completely played the game that Alcaraz wanted him to.

Another problem for Shelton is that in the first 3 rounds, Shelton was not convincing. He had dropped a set in each match, and there was at least one set that went to a tiebreaker.

But against Alcaraz, he will not get a match where he is going to get a 2nd chance. So when he comes into the quarterfinals, the American has to come in with his full game unlocked.

It is high time for Ben Shelton to show his full potential

It has been quite some time since Ben Shelton’s name felt like tennis’ next big American story. His talent has never disappeared, but Grand Slam success has remained the missing piece from his puzzle. He reached the Australian Open quarterfinals before early exits at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

That inconsistency became clearer after Shelton’s painful Wimbledon loss to Otto Virtanen. Shelton led 8-5 in the deciding tiebreak before Virtanen came back and won 11-9. That defeat sent Shelton into 3 weeks of serious training.

He worked on his mindset, return, and decision-making before heading into the North American Tour.

That work seemed to pay off in Montreal, where Shelton defended his Canadian Open title without dropping a set. He beat Brandon Nakashima 6-3, 7-6(4), producing some of his best we have seen.

But then Cincinnati came and exposed Shelton’s game again. He lost to Jaime Faria in the very first match.

Even at the US Open, even his win over Denis Shapovalov felt more about surviving than controlling. He beat the Canadian, 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4. The first 2 sets were messy.

He wasted chances when he had the lead and struggled to break his opponent. And in no way was it a clean and confident performance.

But by beating Tsitsipas in straight sets, he has changed the mood.

Now, Carlos Alcaraz stands ahead, offering Shelton his biggest test since his Wimbledon setback. Alcaraz leads their meetings 3-0 and has looked sharp since returning from his wrist injury.

If Shelton wants to prove his talent belongs among tennis’ best, this match could reveal everything.