Alcaraz meets Shelton in US Open quarter-final

Here is why the Spanish sports pages are leading with tennis today: according to figures compiled by Sofascore, Carlos Alcaraz (seeded second and the reigning champion) is playing Ben Shelton (seeded eighth and the last American man standing) in the US Open quarter-final at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on 9 September 2026. That matchup alone explains why Alcaraz has climbed back to the top of Spain's trending searches, as Google Trends shows a sharp spike around his name.

Sofascore also underlines a detail that reassures Spanish fans: Alcaraz leads the head-to-head three wins to none against Shelton before they walk out tonight. Sunday Guardian Live adds context on the form of both players, reporting that Alcaraz reached this stage by beating Tommy Paul in three straight sets and has dropped only one set across his first four rounds. The same outlet notes that Shelton arrives in good shape too, having ousted Stefanos Tsitsipas without facing a single break point, though he needed four sets in each of his three earlier matches.

One point the Spanish outlets keep flagging is what waits beyond this quarter-final. Sunday Guardian Live reports that whoever wins the Alcaraz-Shelton tie will face American Frances Tiafoe in the semi-final. ESPN completes that picture, adding that Tiafoe (seeded eleventh) booked his place by knocking out Daniil Medvedev (seeded seventh), and that Alex Michelsen reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final by beating Tomas Martin Etcheverry before running into Tiafoe in an all-American clash the previous Tuesday.

A word of caution the press itself is careful about: at the time of writing, no reliable Spanish source (AS, ABC or Marca) had confirmed a final score, and one reading suggested the opening set was still level at six games each, which points to a match either still in progress or not yet settled. So treat any circulating scoreline with care. What is certain, and what has Spain watching in real time, is the stake: a home favourite defending his crown, one win away from another New York semi-final.

Sources : Sofascore, Sunday Guardian Live, ESPN, Google Trends.