Zverev Beats Shelton in 4 Sets for First US Open Title

Alexander Zverev won the US Open for the first time on September 13, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in a men's singles final that lasted 3 hours and 33 minutes at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. The ATP Tour's match report says the 29-year-old German, ranked No. 2 in the world, sealed it by taking 12 of the last 14 points.

The title reshaped Zverev's major record inside a single season. He won Roland Garros in June, reached the Wimbledon final five weeks later, and has now added New York. According to the ATP Tour, that makes him the fourth man in the Open Era to win his first two Grand Slam singles titles in the same season; the tour's report does not name the other three. "We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we've won two within the span of three months," Zverev said at the trophy ceremony, thanking his team.

The match turned in the second set. CBS Sports reported that Zverev raced to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak and closed it out 7-2, leaving Shelton two sets down. Playing his first Grand Slam final, Shelton made 11 unforced errors in the opening set to Zverev's three, steadied enough to take the third set 7-5, then lost the fourth 6-2.

The result matters beyond one scoreline. CBS Sports notes that no American man has won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open, a drought now 23 years long. Shelton's run carried its own marker: CBS Sports reported he was the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and the first to reach any Grand Slam final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.

The supporting numbers are in the ATP Tour's report: a tour-leading 53 wins in 2026, a 25-2 record at majors this year, and 45 wins in his past 46 matches against left-handed opponents. Reaching the final cost him 19 hours and 38 minutes on court, which the ATP Tour calls the fourth-longest run to a US Open final since 1991.

One thing the title did not change is the top of the rankings: the ATP Tour put Zverev 1,810 points behind Jannik Sinner in the Live Rankings after the final. Zverev's closing words were aimed across the net. "Ben, you're an incredible player, an incredible person. This was your first Grand Slam final, but I already told you that you're going to be back here many, many more times."