Roddick Reacts to Ben Shelton Beating Carlos Alcaraz | 2026 US Open Recap

I have my dream job, but even dream jobs have not so dreamy parts. That's where ServiceNow's AI Specialist come in. They don't just tell you what to do about your busy work, they actually do it. That way your team can focus on what matters. To learn how to put AI to work for people, visit ServiceNow.com. Hey everyone, welcome to QuickServe, brought to you by ServiceNow. Doing an emergency quick served obviously feels weird not being in a car, but we'd still like to think had like the official vehicle of the US Open. Our driver simply can't go home at 5 and be back at 9 in the morning. So we decided to do an emergency one, Tekishan. Right there setting up some sort of camera that he has, he's always ready. But Ben Shelton sends shockwaves through the US Open, beating Carlos Alcoraz, 7, 6, and the 5th, 10, 7 in the match tie break. And I knew that everyone else was out there. I have an earlier day today. I went to sleep after the third set. I got up this morning and watched the final two sets on YouTube. Ben is mental discipline. Staying on message provides clarity and decision making. And that was needed against Carlos Alcoraz. What a big win for Ben Shelton finishing up at 3.33 AM in the morning. Listen, Carlos coming back after four and a half months and even attempting to win a grand slam is otherworldly. For him wasn't landing the way it normally does. But Ben saw that was able to adjust his game planning based on the moment. The Carlos Alcoraz he saw that night was breaking fantastically well. Been working on his returns, returned really well. Broke served maybe more than any of us thought he might in this match and did a fantastic job. Even that fifth set breaker, it wasn't a lot of the looking up and saying, come on, he kept like inward and was disciplined and on message and all of those things. And it felt like such a massive growth match for Ben Shelton using that big lefty serve, running it in on his body at 1.45. That's a superpower he has that no one else on earth has. And smiling as I say this, sets up an all-American match with Francis Tiafo. We will have an American playing for the US Open title. We'll see Francis getting through yesterday against Alex Mikkelson, they played a quarter final a couple years ago. This is going to be electric. I'm in with the rest of you, is this the time? Is this the one that we've been waiting for for so long, a well-deserved victory from Ben Shelton? I know a lot of the comments are, how do you finish it for in the morning and all of that? Well, every match goes to a match tie break except for one and you've got to get 25,000 people out of a stadium responsibly and you've got to get 25,000 people in responsibly. I hear a lot of complaining. I don't hear a lot of proposed solutions. The starting earlier wasn't possible because of Francis and Mikkelson's match and so you have to have a night session at the US Open. It's one of the things that we all love and they've been on the wrong side of luck. Now, I know there are some people who have said shorter format. I know Bill Simmons made a, the point that this is ridiculous that we're playing too long. He's probably, he's normally well thought out in his, in his, in his thoughts. I don't disagree with the premise of like five hours is too much. I'm bored and also seven, six and the fifth last time we've been Shelton and Carlos Alcaros and that match where Tiafos down two sets and the guy's serving for it. I kind of like the fact that we have a sport where you get into these long four matches and it's the hardest thing on earth. It's the hardest sport in the world. If you take that away, can we lay that claim anymore? I don't know. So I understand all the pragmatists out there that say we should have a shorter format. I understand the reasons for it. I understand that it's inconvenient for Shawn to be up until 4 a.m. Watching this match while he's editing last night's show, I understand that some people have to go to sleep because like you, I had to go to sleep to protect my work day today. I understand all of the rational arguments and my only argument to you is did you fucking see what happened last night, you know, did you, it's the hardest thing in the world, into the day. Tiafos, five sets, Shelton, five sets, Americans in the semifinals, one guaranteed to be in the semifinals without Carlos or Yonic in the draw, it's also amazing how Zverev was barely standing after two rounds and now he looks like the out and out favorite to win a second major in a year, you know, and a lot of us were rightfully wondering whether or not he was ever going to win the first one. And now he has a look at the basket again, it just shockwaves, you know, and I know we're mad at Zverev because he finished late and now I'm like I can tell that story where it's like he survived and got through and nine net plus hours and it's this, it's this battle and you break it and you make your own luck and like all that stuff so I understand the pragmatists, I understand everyone's upset, I understand all that stuff and also this is why it's the best, it's why it's the hardest so I'm totally torn, the best of five format, I don't know that you can ever get rid of that, I just, it's what makes us different, it's what makes us stand out against all the other sports in the world, you are isolated alone playing an opponent, so not playing yourself, not on a road, not against the time, against someone who is dissecting you and trying to expose you and four and a half hours later you avoid that exposure for long enough to be Ben Sheldon to take out one of the best players of all time, Carlos Alcoraz at your home slam to give yourself a chance in the semis against your friend Francis Tiafo who did much of the same to win in five sets, so props to Ben, props to Brian Sheldon putting together a game plan and executing it and just again the mental discipline of foe and the mental discipline of Ben Sheldon are the reasons why they're playing in the semifinals with a shot at a US Open title, whichever one it is they need six sets, six sets left, it's been a quick serve, brought to you by service now, we will be back in the Cadillac studio tonight in our Escalade IQ but for now, we'll see you. I have my dream job, but even dream jobs have not so dreamy parts, that's where service now is AI specialist come in, they don't just tell you what to do about your busy work, they actually do it, that way your team can focus on what matters. To learn how to put AI to work for people, visit servicenow.com.