‘He Was Rusty’ – Alexander Zverev Makes Feelings Clear on Carlos Alcaraz After Ben Shelton’s US Open Win
Alexander Zverev has reached the semifinals with a commanding straight-sets win over Botic van de Zandschulp. Despite his own busy schedule, the top seed revealed that he stayed up late to watch one of the tournament’s most exciting matches.
After his quarterfinal victory, Zverev praised Ben Shelton and offered his thoughts on the American’s historic late-night upset of defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Alexander Zverev Gives Ben Shelton Huge Credit While Pointing Out Carlos Alcaraz’s Rust in US Open Loss
Zverev, who has reached all four Grand Slam semifinals in a single season for the first time in his career, revealed during his press conference that he stayed awake until 3:33 a.m. to watch the highly anticipated quarterfinal clash.
Shelton eventually defeated the two-time US Open champion in a five-set thriller that stretched deep into the New York night, setting up an all-American semifinal against Frances Tiafoe.
Asked about the epic match, Zverev was quick to praise the 23-year-old American’s all-around game, particularly his strong baseline performance against one of the sport’s best returners.
“Ben played extremely well from the baseline. He was extremely stable from the baseline. I thought that was phenomenal to see,” Zverev explained to reporters. “Of course serving well, whatever that’s normal for him, but I think from the baseline, his tennis was incredibly good.”
While Shelton played at his best to secure the biggest win of his career, Zverev also gave an honest assessment of Alcaraz’s current form. The seven-time Grand Slam champion had missed several months earlier in the season due to a right wrist injury, and his lack of top-level match play appeared to show during the long baseline exchanges.
“I think, Alcaraz, you could see maybe that he was a bit rusty hasn’t played a top player in a while, because he was missing maybe a few more forehands than he used to do,” Zverev noted. “But I think credit to Ben. Ben played amazing.”
In an interview with Super Tennis, Zverev also acknowledged that while he is the top seed, Shelton has been playing better tennis during the hard-court swing and arrives in strong form after winning Montreal and beating the Spaniard.
The late-night viewing did not affect Zverev’s own title campaign in Flushing Meadows. After defeating unseeded Botic van de Zandschulp, 6-2, 7-5, 6-1, he now has 23 Grand Slam match wins in 2026 and has surpassed Boris Becker’s record for the most major victories by a German man in a single season.
With Alcaraz out of the tournament, Zverev is now among the leading favorites and will next face Russia’s Karen Khachanov for a place in his third consecutive Grand Slam final.
