Zverev beats Shelton to win US Open title

Germany's Alexander Zverev celebrated after defeating USA's Ben Shelton in the men's singles final at the US Open. Photo: AFP

Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton to win the US Open on Sunday. This is Zverev's second Grand Slam title, just months after he won the French Open.

The top-seeded German player stopped a late push by Shelton to win 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2. This win crushed Shelton's hopes of being the first American man to win a Grand Slam title in 23 years.

Zverev wiped away the memory of his 2020 US Open loss when he was close to winning but lost to Dominic Thiem in five sets. It took him six years and two major final losses before he could finally win again this season.

“I think God has seen how hard we worked, 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 during the trophy presentation.

Twenty-three-year-old Shelton was just a month shy of his first birthday when Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open, the last time a US man won a major title. Fans had high hopes that Shelton could end this drought after his amazing five-set win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and a comeback against Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.

But Zverev's skill on the court proved too strong for Shelton. Even with a supportive crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium cheering for him, Shelton could not keep up. Shelton managed to rally in the third set, cutting down on the mistakes Zverev had taken advantage of.

While serving to extend the third set, Zverev found himself down 0-40. Shelton missed his first set point, but on the second try, Zverev missed his forehand volley. This gave Shelton his first break of the match, so they moved to a fourth set.

Zverev quickly answered back, breaking Shelton in the first game of the fourth set and then took control of the match. He celebrated by raising his arms after Shelton hit a return long on match point. He finally got a big cheer from the crowd after a bit of encouragement.

Zverev mentioned that he didn’t realize he had won because he lost track of the score. “I knew I broke him twice, 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.

“In that moment I was in the zone a lot. I didn’t hear noise at all. Then also, of course, when the crowd is loud, it’s impossible to hear the umpire, so I didn’t hear that she said, ‘Game, set, match.'”

After winning the French Open, Zverev was the runner-up at Wimbledon. But his chances in New York looked slim as he struggled through two five-set matches to start the tournament.

Now, the 29-year-old, who is ranked second in the world, has a shot at the number one ranking since Italian Jannik Sinner is out with a knee injury. Zverev feels he might now be the best player in the world “right, right now.”

“If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead.” Shelton came into the match to a huge welcome, but he did not have the sharpness that helped him beat Alcaraz and Tiafoe.

Zverev, calm and with a powerful serve, quickly took charge of the match by breaking in the first game. Shelton double-faulted on break point. Eight games later, the American again double-faulted on set point.

Shelton fought back in the third set, getting to a tiebreak, but Zverev jumped to a 5-0 lead and took a two-sets-to-none lead with a service winner. Shelton gave his all in the third set, diving for Zverev's hard shots, but he could not stop Zverev in the final set.

“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. I wasn’t great in transition.

“It’s not easy,” he added. “Playing a guy like him, there are very few chances.”