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Ben Shelton sent defending champion Carlos Alcaraz packing from the US Open quarterfinals in the early hours on Wednesday, the pair slugging it out in the latest-finishing match in tournament history.
Spaniard Alcaraz had defied concerns over his long layoff due to a wrist injury but came undone against American eighth seed Shelton, who plays countryman Frances Tiafoe for a place in the final.
Alcaraz, 23, struggled with accuracy, making an uncharacteristic 53 unforced errors, and was dragged into a punishing four-hour and 28-minute battle, where Shelton sealed a 6-7(5) 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6(10-7) victory at 3.33am (local time) in New York.
"Carlos is one of the greatest champions in our sport already," Shelton said of the seven-times Grand Slam champion.
"It's always fun being on the court against him. It's ridiculous some of the stuff he comes up with sometimes, but it's the most enjoyable match I've had in my career."
While Shelton and Tiafoe continue their quest to become the first American men's Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick's 2003 triumph at Flushing Meadows, Alcaraz departed with a smile on his face.
"I think everyone could see it on court," he said.
"We left the court smiling, happy. At the end of the day, when matches are that close, that tight, and you end up losing after four and a-half hours, well, it's never pleasant.
"But you have to look at the bigger picture, we played some absolutely brilliant tennis. The crowd really enjoyed it. There were loads of people in the stadium supporting us."
Men's top seed Alexander Zverev will close out Wednesday's night session against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
The German has been responsible for a couple of the very late finishes so far this year at Flushing Meadows, starting his campaign with two back-to-back five-set matches.
Van de Zandschulp has earned a reputation as a capable dragon slayer after he beat Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open and Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells last year.
Zverev and Van de Zandschulp will take to the court after a quarter-final between Russian Karen Khachanov and Belgian Alexander Blockx.
Rybakina knocks Sabalenka off No 1 ranking
Elena Rybakina ensured she will leave Flushing Meadows as the new world No 1 with a comprehensive win over Zheng Qinwen on Wednesday as s 2023 champion Coco Gauff came backfrom a poor start to meet her in the semifinal.
Zheng had cultivated a reputation as one of the tournament's finest comeback artists but ran out of gas against Rybakina, losing 3-6 6-1 6-4 as the Kazakh chipped away at her defences after overcoming early mistakes.
"It's tough to find words," said Rybakina, of Kazakhstan, who dethroned Aryna Sabalenka at the top of the rankings. "It wasn't maybe the highest level but I'm glad I pushed through."
She will face US fan favourite Gauff, who got off to a dreadful start before recovering to beat Russian fifth seed Mirra Andreeva 2-6 7-6(7) 6-2.
Gauff improved her level dramatically across the match, drawing on the inspiration of her compatriot Frances Tiafoe's recovery from two sets down the previous evening, as she saved two match points in the tiebreak.
"Elena - she's the new world number one so it's going to be a tough match," said Gauff. "I'm looking forward to the battle. These are the moments you live for."
Men's top seed Alexander Zverev closes out Wednesday's night session against Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
The German has been responsible for a couple of the very late finishes so far this year at Flushing Meadows, starting his campaign with two back-to-back five-set matches.
Van de Zandschulp has earned a reputation as a capable dragon slayer after he beat Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open and Novak Djokovic at Indian Wells last year.
Zverev and Van de Zandschulp will take to the court after a quarter-final between Russian Karen Khachanov and Belgian Alexander Blockx.
Sabalenka had not dropped a set this year in New York but found herself pushed to the limit in a 7-6(1) 3-6 7-6(10-7) win over Linda Noskova to reach her sixth consecutive US Open semi-final.
The highly anticipated meeting between the Czech Wimbledon winner and the US Open champion lived up to expectations and the Belarusian clinched victory with a second-serve ace.
"I felt at some point in the third set she was definitely serving better than me and putting so much pressure on me, but I'm glad that threw that thought away and I was able to focus point by point," said Sabalenka.
US fan favourite Tiafoe came back from two sets and a break down to defeat compatriot Alex Michelsen 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 7-6(6), flinging his racket to the court in a scene of joy after sealing the win with a signature forehand.
The marathon match pushed Tuesday's evening programme to a later start, and third seed Jessica Pegula came from behind to see off fellow American Emma Navarro 3-6 6-4 6-3 in a contest that was dubbed by local media as the "Battle of the Billionaires".
Pegula, daughter of Buffalo Bills and Sabres owner Terry Pegula, is among three women who could overtake Sabalenka as the world number one at this tournament.
She extended her record over Navarro, the daughter of billionaire businessman Ben Navarro, to 5-0.