What comes first? Love for Tennis or commitment to the country? This is the question some fans were left asking after chants of “Olé, olé, olé” erupted at the US Open quarterfinal match between Carlos Alcaraz and American Ben Shelton.
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One fan argued that the fans in NYC had “forgotten how to be American” after Alcaraz received a ton of support. They instead wanted the crowd to cheer on Shelton as they played at the US Open.
The debate quickly went viral, receiving a response from tennis insider and Yahoo Sports journalist Dan Wolken. “Hate these takes. Fans like who they like,” Wolken argued. “Alcaraz is in the Federer/Nadal category now where people want to see him win because it feels historic and he’s mega likeable. Has nothing to do with nationality,” he wrote.
“Ben is also really popular around the world and gets huge support,” Wolken further stated, balancing the crowd’s actual reaction during the match.
When it comes to sheer achievements, Wolken’s take has struck gold. In 2026, Carlos Alcaraz won the Australian Open, becoming the youngest ever to win all four Grand Slams at the age of 22 years and 272 days.
Rafael Nadal achieved the same at 24 years old, and Federer at 27. Alcaraz also became the second Spanish man after Nadal to complete the feat. Most interestingly, he completed the feat by defeating the legendary Novak Djokovic.
At 23, Alcaraz has already earned 7 Grand Slam titles, including 2 US Open victories in 2022 and 2025.
For comparison’s sake, Federer achieved his 7th Grand Slam (2006 Australian Open) at the age of 24, and so did Nadal (2010 Wimbledon). Therefore, in many ways, Alcaraz is in the same category and well on his way to becoming a legend if his career trajectory moves in the same fashion it has so far.
Also, the player has over 8 million followers on Instagram, which just shows his global appeal. Naturally, he has fans everywhere around the world. However, this doesn’t mean the crowd cheered just for him.
Ben Shelton Thunders Ahead After 3:00 AM Thriller Concludes in Carlos Alcaraz’s Exit
Ben Shelton put up an absolute masterclass in the US Open’s quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard won the first set with a 7-6 score and looked like he was going to keep his lead for long. However, Shelton broke the code and unleashed his powerful serves in sets 2 and 3, winning them both 6-1 and 6-3. The crowd swung in the direction of the winning player regularly, clearly showing a divide between Shelton fans and Alcaraz’s followers.
The fourth set is where the match became more interesting. Alcaraz, despite physically struggling, fought back. He took the fourth set, but eventually, exhaustion wore on. The defending US Open champion vomited during this set, sending a wave of awe through the Arthur Ashe Stadium. This did not stop him.
The fifth set was upon the stadium; at this point, fans recognized that Shelton might win after all. Chants of “U.S.A! U.S.A!” and ““Let’s go, Ben!”” were echoing through the stadium as Shelton sent a blazing cross-court backhand for 15-4. Therefore, it’s evident that the crowd was there for both the players and, more importantly, for the spirit of the match itself.
Both players had their moments as the thriller went on until 3:33 AM. This is the latest finish in US Open history, and the most interesting part is that the audience was there throughout the whole journey. Some describe the atmosphere as so electric it could easily rival a soccer match. Now, Shelton is on his way to the semifinals against Frances Tiafoe in what could be a genuine Grand Slam-winning run.