Alexander Zverev finally got his hands on the US Open trophy that once seemed destined to be his, overcoming American hope and his own painful Grand Slam history to beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in Sunday’s final at Flushing Meadows.Six years after blowing a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, Zverev completed one of the biggest pieces of unfinished business in his career. The German, who became a Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros earlier this year, added a second major title in New York to cap a remarkable 2026 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.The victory also ended an extraordinary run of disappointment in Grand Slam finals for Zverev, who had previously reached the championship match at the US Open in 2020 and the French Open in 2024 before finally breaking through in Paris this year.
Zverev silences partisan New York crowd
The home crowd had been desperate to see Shelton end a 23-year wait for an American man’s Grand Slam title. The eighth seed was attempting to become the first American man to win a major since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open and the first Black American man to win the title since Arthur Ashe in 1968.But Zverev refused to be intimidated by the partisan atmosphere.“I know that today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win so I’m very sorry,” Zverev said. “Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair and we as players we appreciate it.”The German made the perfect start, capitalising on Shelton’s nerves in his first Grand Slam final. Shelton double-faulted on break point in the opening game and Zverev held his advantage throughout the set, closing it out when the American committed another double fault.Zverev’s composure became even more evident in the second set. With the crowd attempting to lift Shelton and occasionally reacting loudly to Zverev’s mistakes, the top seed remained focused and raced through the tiebreak, taking a 5-0 lead before closing it 7-2.
Ben Shelton (AP Photo)
Shelton fights back but Zverev refuses to crack
Shelton, however, refused to surrender.Zverev looked on course for a straight-sets victory after saving a break point with a stunning backhand winner in the sixth game of the third set. Shelton then slipped and crashed to the court, but the setback appeared to galvanise him.The American began finding greater depth and power from the baseline, eventually breaking Zverev for the first and only time in the match. He held his nerve to take the third set 7-5 and send the final into a fourth.But the comeback ended there.Zverev immediately broke Shelton’s serve at the start of the fourth set and then survived a 25-shot rally to strengthen his grip on the match. The German never relinquished the advantage, eventually closing out the contest 6-2.In an almost surreal moment, Zverev initially did not realise he had won. After Shelton sent a return long on match point, Zverev instinctively moved back towards the baseline as if preparing to receive another serve.Only after the umpire announced, “Game, set and match Zverev”, and the crowd rose to applaud, did the German realise the title was his. He smiled, raised his arms and headed to the net to embrace Shelton.
From 2020 heartbreak to 2026 glory
The triumph erased one of the most painful chapters of Zverev’s career. In 2020, he led Thiem by two sets and came within two points of victory before becoming the first man since 1949 to lose a Grand Slam final after taking the opening two sets.This time, there was no collapse.Zverev has now gone 25-2 in Grand Slam matches in 2026, having won the French Open, reached the Wimbledon final and followed that run by claiming his second major title in New York.He also collected a record $5.5 million winner’s prize, matching women’s champion Elena Rybakina’s payout from Saturday as the biggest prize in Grand Slam history.Shelton, meanwhile, leaves New York with a breakthrough of his own despite falling short. He had stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarter-final that ended at 3:33 a.m., but could not complete the ultimate upset.“You’re one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev.For Zverev, there was no better way to answer the ghosts of 2020 than by finally lifting the US Open trophy.“We went 30 years without winning a Slam title and now won two in the span of three months,” he said.
