US Open: Top seed Alexander Zverev ends Ben Shelton’s run and American dreams to claim title in four sets
Alexander Zverev wins maiden US Open title to add to his French Open crown with victory against Ben Shelton; watch the Laver Cup at The O2 in London from 25-27 September live on Sky Sports.
Sunday 13 September 2026 23:34, UK
Top seed Alexander Zverev dashed Ben Shelton’s hopes and ended American dreams by defeating him in four sets on Sunday to claim his maiden US Open title.
German top seed Zverev proved too strong for American eighth seed Shelton 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 5-7 6-2 in the final at Flushing Meadows.
Zverev added the New York title to his collection after winning the French Open earlier this year. In a bizarre ending, Shelton's return sailed long on match point, but Zverev, seemingly unaware that he had won, hit the balls back to the other end of the court, ready for another game.
Only when Zverev glanced up to the big screen did he realise he had actually won.
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"Ben, you're an incredible player, an incredible person," Zverev said to Shelton during the trophy ceremony. "This was your first Grand Slam final, but I already told you that you're going to be back here many, many more times."
Shelton was bidding to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003, while also aiming to become only the second Black man to triumph at this level after Arthur Ashe in 1975. He walked onto the court to a rapturous reception from the partisan crowd of 23,000 spectators inside the stadium named in Ashe's honour.
A star-studded crowd included actors Brad Pitt, Rami Malek and James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, to whom a mischievous TV director panned with the match clock reading 0.07.
Despite spending 19 hours and 38 minutes on court en route to the final - the fourth-longest total recorded by a player reaching a Grand Slam final since 1991 - Zverev made a blistering start, breaking in the opening game before breaking again on set point to take control.
Shelton could not even earn a break point in the opening two sets, as Zverev, the No. 1 seed at a Grand Slam for the first time, used his powerful serve to keep the American at bay.
Shelton had lost all five of his previous meetings with Zverev, but he had also arrived in New York having never beaten Stefanos Tsitsipas or, most notably, Carlos Alcaraz - until this tournament. That run gave him plenty of reason for optimism heading into Sunday's final at Flushing Meadows.
But Zverev, now playing with freedom after shedding the unwanted tag of the 'best player never to win a major' with his French Open triumph earlier this year, dominated the second-set tie-break to move within a set of the titl
Shelton dug in, to his credit, and finally brought up three break - and set - points as the Zverev serve suddenly faltered, and the crowd were in full voice again when he converted the second.
But the match was effectively over as a contest when Zverev, who has capitalised on the fitness struggles and absences of Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner at various points this year, broke early in the fourth set.
His incessant ball-bouncing - statistics showed he spent around three hours of his 23-plus hours on court this fortnight bouncing the ball between serves - finally earned him a time violation.
But the 29-year-old held his nerve to clinch Grand Slam title No 2, and his first in New York, in three hours and 33 minutes. After a brief pause to take it all in, he finally began to celebrate.
Shelton said: "Sascha [Zverev], congrats on these two weeks, your second Grand Slam title and two in one year.
"What you're doing is incredible, the way you are serving and moving in play. You work harder than anyone I know, and do more hours on court than anyone else.
"You and your team do things the right way and I'm sincerely happy for you guys to hold this title.
"To New York, you guys drove me here today. I'm just getting started and I'll be back here again."
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