NEW YORK, Sept ⁠6 (Reuters) - Eighth seed Ben Shelton outshone Stefanos Tsitsipas under the U.S. Open ⁠spotlight on Sunday, sealing a 6-2 6-3 6-4 victory to reach ‌the quarter-finals and boost home hopes of a first American men's Grand Slam champion in more than two decades.

Shelton next faces Carlos Alcaraz and the 23-year-old showed he has the tools to trouble ​the Spaniard, though he said that it would ⁠take special tennis to beat ⁠the defending champion who has hit top form after an injury layoff.

"The level that ⁠he's ‌playing at is really impressive. To not play for almost five months and do what he's doing is superhuman and we're happy to have ⁠him back," Shelton said.

"He lights up stadiums and I ​think there's going to ‌be fireworks again on Tuesday."

Shelton blended raw power with a delicate touch ⁠and sharp ​decision-making to overwhelm Tsitsipas in an opening set that lasted only 31 minutes on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

"My team told me that if I didn't show up fully focused they would ⁠leave," joked Shelton, who is bidding to become ​the first U.S. man to win a major since Andy Roddick's 2003 triumph at Flushing Meadows.

"I was focused, it was a good match from start to finish. It ⁠was my first straightforward match this year and I'm happy I can play this way in front of you.

"When you play on this court every year, it feels like you start over again and the nerves hit. I finally found ​my groove and was in a flow state. Playing ⁠on the greatest court in the world is an unbelievable feeling."

With a two-set cushion, ​Shelton sprinkled some showmanship into the clash in ‌the next with a soaring overhead smash before ​racing away and completing an emphatic win with a comfortable hold of serve.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; Editing by Peter Rutherford)