Zverev holds off Shelton in four sets to win US Open
Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open men's final in New York on Sunday, 13 September. The top seed needed four sets to get past the American eighth seed and close out the title The Guardian.
It is Zverev's second Grand Slam title of the year. He becomes only the fourth man in the Open Era after Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas and Jannik Sinner to win his first two major titles in the same season.
Zverev struck first. He took the opening set 6-3 with clean serving and few errors. Shelton could not find a way into the German's service games.
The second set went to a tiebreak, the first-to-seven shootout that decides a set locked at 6-6. Zverev won it 7-2. He read Shelton's serve early and pulled clear. Two sets down. No panic from Shelton.
Shelton would not go quietly. He took the third set 7-5 to lift the crowd and stretch the final. The fourth swung back hard. Zverev reset, held his serve and closed it 6-2.
The numbers explain the result. Zverev landed 69% of first serves and won 85% of those points The Guardian. When the first ball went in, Shelton rarely had an answer.
Six meetings. Six wins. Zverev now leads Shelton 6-0 in their head-to-head record after this final.
There was history on the line for Shelton. He would have been the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win the US Open. He would also have been the first Black American man since Arthur Ashe in 1968 to win it.
Shelton, the eighth seed, the seeding position that keeps the top players apart in the early rounds, reached the final by beating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals Reuters. Earlier in the tournament he hit 148 mph on the radar gun during his second-round win US Open.
Zverev's route was steadier. He beat unseeded Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) in the semi-finals to reach the championship match. He had already logged his 50th win of 2026 during the second week in New York.
The final had been scheduled for 2 p.m. ET in New York. The winner earned $5,500,000 in prize money, with $2,800,000 for the runner-up.
What makes this stand out is the patience. Zverev did not chase quick winners. He served well, waited for the short ball and trusted the pattern. For fans, that was the match in miniature: Shelton asking loud questions, Zverev answering quietly.
