It was the match of Ben Shelton’s career, but he did not want to forget his sister and best friend who were supporting him from the stands.
Shelton defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the wee hours of the U.S. Open on Wednesday morning in a five-set thriller, after which Shelton had a request for his sister – and her employer.
“I’m just hoping that my best friend and my sister over there don’t have to be at work at 6 a.m. in three hours; it’d be huge from their employers to let them have the day off today,” Shelton said during an on-court interview with ESPN.
Shelton’s victory was the latest ending match in U.S. Open history, having begun just after 11 p.m. ET and lasting over four hours.
Emma Shelton, a former college tennis player who works in finance for Morgan Stanley, has been a massive supporter of her brother’s career, traveling around the world to see his matches.
Emma laughed from the stands after her brother became the first American to beat the world’s No. 3 player in a Grand Slam match.
Shelton has previously referred to Emma as his “lucky charm” at Wimbledon last year, though she had to return to the States to get to work for her finance job in New York City.
The two siblings were raised by their father, Bryan, who was a former pro and full-time coach who tutored his children into tennis stardom.
Shelton was seen signaling to his support group in the stands for much of the night at the U.S. Open, including a phone celebration with his girlfriend Trinity Rodman.
He slayed a dragon by defeating Alcaraz, but there are still some monsters lurking that may need taming on the other side of the bracket.
He’s slated to face Frances Tiafoe on Friday in a match slated to go off at 3 p.m. ET.
No. 1 seed Alex Zverev, who plays his quarterfinal match against Botic van de Zandschulp on Wednesday, could await in the finals.
