Alexander Zverev secured the second Grand Slam title of his professional career on Sunday, defeating Ben Shelton in the US Open final. The top-seeded German delivered a clinical performance to win 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2, ultimately denying the eighth-seeded American a chance to become the first local man to win a major title in 23 years. The victory served as a significant milestone for Zverev, allowing him to put behind the frustration of his 2020 US Open final defeat against Dominic Thiem, where he had been only two points away from the trophy before falling in five sets.
Reflecting on the achievement during the trophy ceremony, Zverev noted that 2026 feels like the culmination of years of hard work and suffering. He expressed gratitude for the journey, stating that he feels his efforts have finally come to fruition. For the 23-year-old Shelton, the loss was a difficult conclusion to a breakout tournament. Shelton had been attempting to end a drought dating back to Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open win, the last time a man from the United States hoisted the trophy at the tournament.
Shelton had entered the match buoyed by a star-studded crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium and high expectations following victories against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe. Despite the vocal support, Zverev’s consistent all-court game proved difficult to overcome. Shelton managed to claw his way into the match during the third set, capitalizing on rare errors from the German to force a break. After Zverev fell behind 0-40 while serving to stay in the set, a wide forehand volley gave Shelton the break he needed to extend the match into a fourth set.
Zverev responded with composure, breaking Shelton immediately in the opening game of the final set before pulling away to victory. The win was secured when Shelton sent a return long on match point. Interestingly, Zverev admitted he did not realize the match had concluded because he had lost track of the score, believing it to be 5-1 rather than 6-2. He noted that this confusion actually helped him avoid nerves while serving for the title, and the intense noise from the crowd made it impossible to hear the umpire’s final call.
Following his French Open win earlier this season and a runner-up performance at Wimbledon, the 29-year-old Zverev is now climbing in the world rankings. With Italian star Jannik Sinner currently sidelined due to a knee injury, Zverev suggested he is firmly in the conversation for the world number one spot, though he acknowledged that a fully healthy Sinner likely remains ahead of him for now. He even remarked that he might consider himself the top player in the world at this specific moment.
Shelton struggled to find the precision that characterized his earlier rounds, committing unforced errors and suffering from a lack of sharpness on his forehand. A double fault in the opening game and another on set point in the first set set an early tone of difficulty for the American. While he successfully rallied to force a second-set tiebreaker, he was unable to withstand Zverev’s serve, falling behind 5-0 in that segment. Shelton conceded that playing against someone of Zverev’s caliber leaves very few opportunities to capitalize, noting his frustration with his own execution during critical transitions. The report also notes that how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before,” Zverev said at the trophy presentation, i think God has seen how hard we worked. The report also notes that with their backing, Shelton surged in the third set, eliminating the errors that Zverev had ruthlessly exploited. The report also notes that but I thought it was 5-1 instead of 6-2, which helped me in a way, because I didn’t really get nervous serving out the match,” Zverev said, i knew I broke him twice. The report also notes that but his New York prospects had looked bleak as he labored through two five-setters to start the tournament. The report also notes that but was helpless as Zverev roared to a 5-0 lead and took a two-sets-to-none lead with a service winner, shelton rallied from 0-30 down to force the second-set tiebreaker. The report also notes that i made too many errors when I had the ball there on my strings,” Shelton said. “I wasn’t amazing attacking on my forehand today.
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