Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in four sets on Sunday to capture the U.S. Open men’s singles championship, securing his second Grand Slam title after finally breaking through at the French Open earlier this year.
Competing as the No. 1 seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, Zverev took advantage of Shelton’s uneven opening in his first major final, delivered a near-perfect serving performance in the tiebreak and then stopped the American’s attempted comeback. He prevailed 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 before a crowd that strongly backed Shelton.
Shelton had reached the final by defeating fellow American Francis Tiafoe in a dramatic semifinal. He was seeking to become the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win a major title, while also becoming the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
“You’re one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev during the trophy ceremony.
Zverev’s run through the majors this year proved too strong, even though he briefly appeared unaware that the match was over. After serving out the final game, he moved behind the baseline as if preparing to receive. Moments later, he realized he had won and lifted his arms in celebration.
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“I know today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win, so I’m very sorry, first of all,” Zverev said during the trophy presentation. “But second, it was an incredible atmosphere to play in. Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair.”
The victory improved Zverev’s record in major matches this year to 25-2. He also collected $5.5 million, matching women’s champion Elena Rybakina’s prize from Saturday for the largest payout in Grand Slam history.
Zverev had believed this championship would arrive in 2020, and still feels it should have. That year, he won the opening two sets against Dominic Thiem and came within two points of victory before becoming the first man since 1949 to lose a Grand Slam final after holding a two-set lead.
Those lingering memories, however, have now been put to rest.
Zverev also reached the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Jannik Sinner. He became the top seed in New York after Sinner, the world’s No. 1 player, withdrew because of a knee injury.
“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 told his team.
Shelton had already knocked out the defending champion, beating Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.
But he fell short on Sunday in his attempt to become the first man to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to the U.S. Open title since 1975.
The No. 8 seed fell to 0-6 against Zverev, winning a set Sunday for only the second time.
The 23-year-old Shelton figures to get more chances, but Americans who have grown tired of waiting to celebrate a men’s title wanted it now.
Fans stood and screamed when Shelton emerged from the tunnel before the match, but he didn’t give them any reason to keep the cheers going once play began. Serving first, he lost the opening two points and then eventually handed the game to Zverev with a double fault.
Zverev maintained that lead the rest of the set, which ended on another double-fault by Shelton.
Zverev’s deliberate playing style helped limit the crowd’s effectiveness. Fans are expected to quiet down as a player is preparing to serve and stay quiet until the ensuing point has been completed.
Zverev bounces the ball a number of times — sometimes around 10, maybe a dozen, others nearly 20, insisting there is no set pattern or plan — before he begins his toss, so it guarantees lengthy stretches of silence.
Fans tried to get around that by occasionally cheering when he missed a first serve — another tennis no-no that the chair umpire scolded them for — but Zverev, who said before the match he enjoyed hostile crowds, did not seem affected.
Zverev then turned back Shelton’s chance to even the match in the tiebreaker.
Shelton returned Zverev’s opening serve long, was beaten by a superb passing shot and then came up on the wrong end of a 16-shot rally as Zverev went up 3-0. Zverev then hit serves of 147 mph and 124 mph that Shelton couldn’t get back in play. Shelton cut it to 5-2 and then got a return in play for the only time, but Zverev won the point and then hit another serve at 139 mph to close it out.
