NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Alexander Zverev of Germany and Ben Shelton of the United States shake hands following their Men’s Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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NEW YORK – With his rocket serve and fearless attitude, Ben Shelton figured he could be the first American man in 23 years to hoist a major trophy.
Yes, No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev was 5-0 in against No. 8 Shelton coming in.
Yes, the German was playing in his third straight Grand Slam final.
And yes, he was full of confidence having won his first major title at Roland Garros in June.
But, still, with a serve approaching 150 mph, Shelton had a puncher’s chance to become the first American man since Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open to win a major title.
But the 23-year-old Shelton flashed his nerves early on by double-faulting in his first service game of the match and again to drop the first set. He had trouble putting pressure on the serve of Zverev, who sometimes bounced the ball 18-20 times before serving.
Zverev prevailed 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2, in 3 hours, 32 minutes to win his second major title at the age of 29. Knicks stars Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart were in the stands as Shelton was the first Black man since Arthur Ashe in 1972 to play in the Open final.
Zverev served it out for the title with a service winner and then wasn’t aware he had won the match. He stood at the baseline ready to serve before finally figuring out he had won the title.
“Sascha, congrats on these two weeks man,” Shelton said on court. “Your second Grand Slam title. Two in one year. You’re one of the very best players in the world. Maybe the best player in the world this year.
“What you’re doing is incredible. The way you’re serving, moving, and playing. You work harder than anyone I know. You put more hours on the court than anyone I know. You and your team do things the right way. Sincerely happy for you guys to hold this title. It’s been a long time coming here.”
Zverev won his first U.S. Open after blowing a two-sets-to-love lead on Dominic Thiem in 2020 and admitting he “choked.” Zverev, who banged out eight aces against six double-faults and converted 4-of-6 break points, became the first German man since Boris Becker to win two major titles in one season.
“I believed it was possible,” Zverev, who has Type 1 diabetes which requires him to check a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) sensor during matches, said after reaching the final. “I don’t think many of you did. The question was always whether Carlos [Alcaraz] and Jannik [Sinner] were going to play all four Grand Slam finals against each other again.”
Without Sinner in the draw due to a knee injury and with Shelton having eliminated Alcaraz in an epic quarterfinal, the 6-foot-6 Zverev remained the favorite. He dominated with his serve and didn’t face a break point until well into the third set. He was broken just once. He also adeptly approached the net and put Shelton’s groundstrokes away for winners. And Zverev was rock solid from the baseline.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Ben Shelton of the United States serves against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their Men’s Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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The German also improved to 17-0 in his last 17 matches against left-handers, including 5-0 against Shelton, who he hasn’t lost a set to.
After dropping his serve for the first time to lose the third set, Zverev rebounded right away to break Shelton for 1-0 in the fourth. After a long back-and-forth point, Shelton shanked a backhand wide to give the German the break.
Zverev earned the double-break for 5-2 when Shelton played a lose service game and eventually sailed a backhand lob deep over the German.
Four American men since Roddick in 2003 have lost the U.S. Open final – Andre Agassi (2005) Roddick again (2006), Taylor Fritz (2024) and Shelton (2026).
Overall, European men have now won 89 of the last 91 major titles dating to Roddick’s win in 2003. Over that same time, American women have won 25 majors.
Zverev, who early in his career played in the shadows of the “Big 3” and then of Alcaraz and Sinner, has suddenly won two of the last three major titles after Alcaraz and Sinner had won 10 of 11.
He won this title despite being two points from losing in the opening round to Lorenzo Sonego in the first round before prevailing in five sets and then going to bed around 5 am.
His second-round match against Quentin Halys also went five sets and stretched until 2:15 a.m.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 13: Alexander Zverev of Germany returns a shot against Ben Shelton of the United States in their Men’s Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
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Shelton dropped the first set when he double-faulted on break point to give Zverev the set at 6-3.
Shelton held serve throughout the second set, but felt apart in the tiebreak.
Zverev hit a forehand pass and then a backhand winner up the line to break Shelton to go ahead 3-0 in the breaker. Zverev then smacked a 147-mph service winner and then another service winner to make it 5-0. He closed out the breaker on his serve.
With Zverev serving at 3-all, 30-all in the third set, he ripped a backhand winner down the line past a diving Shelton and the American ended up face down on the court.
In the third set, Shelton finally earned a break to seize the set when Zverev fell behind 5-6, 0-40 and then awkwardly shanked a forehand volley wide to give Shelton the set.
“I’m just getting started and I’ll be back here again,” Shelton said. “Thank you very much.”
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