A thrilling 5hr 15min duel that finished at 2:50am local time ended with the 19-year-old Alcaraz claiming a 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-7 (0/7), 7-5, 6-3 victory to advance to a last-four showdown with Frances Tiafoe of the United States on Friday. The previous record for the latest finish to a US Open match was 2:26am, which had been set three times before. Incredibly, it was the second early-hours-of-the-morning finish for Alcaraz this week. The Spanish No.3 seed had edged past Croatia's Marin Cilic in another five-set epic in the fourth round in a match that finished at 2.23am local time on Tuesday.