Carlos Alcaraz suffered a quarter-final exit at the 2026 US Open after losing to Ben Shelton in a five-set thriller that finished at 3.33am local time. The defeat ended the Spaniard’s 18-match Grand Slam winning streak and his hopes of winning a third US Open title.
It also ensured New York will crown a new champion this year, with an American even guaranteed a place in the final. Frances Tiafoe and Shelton will meet in the semi-final, meaning one of them is certain to end the United States’ wait for a homegrown men’s singles champion at the US Open dating back to Andy Roddick’s triumph in 2003.
But Alcaraz’s defeat also means the so-called ‘US Open curse’ lives on: no man has successfully defended the title in New York in more than a decade.
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The other three Grand Slam tournaments have seen repeat champions in recent years. Jannik Sinner won the last two Wimbledon titles, following Alcaraz’s back-to-back triumphs there. Sinner also won the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025, while Alcaraz captured the French Open in the same two years.
That kind of repeat success has remained elusive in New York.
The last man to successfully defend the US Open title was Roger Federer, who beat Andy Murray in the 2008 final. It was Federer’s fifth consecutive championship at Flushing Meadows, having also lifted the trophy in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Federer came close to making it six in a row, only for Juan Martin del Potro to end his streak in 2009 — a defeat the Swiss still remembers as one of the toughest losses of his career.
“Of course you have some minor regrets where you’re like, I wish I could play that shot again, or I wish I could play that match again. Two of them are actually linked to the US Open and to Wimbledon, because they broke my streak of five in a row,” Federer told Forbes late last month after returning to New York for his long-awaited farewell ceremony.
“Here was against [Juan Martin] del Potro in ’09, and at Wimbledon it was against Rafa — obviously the epic one in ’08.”
Federer never won the tournament again, reaching only one more final, in 2015, when he lost to Novak Djokovic in four sets. And neither did anyone else successfully defend the US Open title after him.
Rafael Nadal tried in 2011 but lost to Djokovic in the final. Djokovic attempted the feat a year later, but Andy Murray beat him in the 2012 final. More recently, Sinner won in 2024 before losing the title to Alcaraz last year.
Why is it so difficult to repeat at the US Open?
One possible explanation is the tournament’s position on the calendar. The US Open arrives at the end of a demanding summer stretch, following two Grand Slam tournaments played on drastically different surfaces and conditions, with less than a month between the French Open and Wimbledon.
By the time players reach New York, fatigue and injuries can become significant factors. Sinner, for example, missed this year’s tournament with a knee problem, while Alcaraz arrived after a five-month lay-off.
“The season is long. I think all the guys who performed well in the preparation tournaments have it more difficult here,” Alexander Blockx, who has reached the quarter-finals, said.
“We’re all human. We’re not robots. Every week is difficult. Especially at a Grand Slam where it gets even more physical. Mentally you have to really stay in it.”