Feliciano Lopez defends five-set tennis

Feliciano Lopez has declared 'long live the five sets' following the epic US Open quarter-final between Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton. The Spanish ATP legend made the comment on social media after watching the 3:30am finish, directly countering recent proposals to shorten Grand Slam matches.

Lopez, who was working the match for Spanish television, posted a reflection online. He called tennis "cruel but fascinating" and expressed relief that Alcaraz was healthy after the battle. His statement serves as a clear endorsement of the traditional best-of-five format at majors.

The divisive format debate

The match's timing was significant. It occurred just days after Australian Open chief Andrew Abdo suggested the Melbourne tournament could potentially scrap best-of-five-set matches in the future. That suggestion has split opinion within the sport. The nearly four-hour duel between Alcaraz and Shelton, decided by a final-set tie-break, is being cited by many as proof the longer format still produces compelling drama.

Shelton's path forward

Ben Shelton, who won the quarter-final, now prepares for a US Open semi-final against fellow American Frances Tiafoe. That match is scheduled for Friday, September 11 on Arthur Ashe Stadium. Shelton leads their head-to-head record 3-1, but Tiafoe's sole victory came at the US Open in 2024, where he defeated Shelton in a five-set round of 32 match.

Alcaraz's upcoming schedule

Carlos Alcaraz will take approximately two weeks off before his next competition. The Spaniard is scheduled to return at the Laver Cup in London, set for September 25-27 at The O2 Arena. He will represent Yannick Noah's Team Europe for the third consecutive year, having played in the 2024 and 2025 editions.

His Laver Cup teammates for Team Europe are Rafael Jodar, Alexander Zverev, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik, and Flavio Cobolli. Team World, captained by Andre Agassi, could feature Ben Shelton alongside Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien, Alexander Bublik, Alex de Minaur, and Tommy Paul, setting up a potential rematch.

Next stop: Tokyo

Following the Laver Cup, both Alcaraz and Shelton are expected to compete at the Japan Open, an ATP 500 event running from September 30 to October 6. Alcaraz is the defending champion, having beaten Taylor Fritz in the 2025 final. Shelton, who last played the tournament in 2024, will have an opportunity to gain valuable ranking points in Tokyo.