Zverev Beats Shelton to Win First US Open Title

Top seed Alexander Zverev overcame Ben Shelton in four sets at Flushing Meadows to claim his maiden US Open and second Grand Slam of 2026.

Top seed Alexander Zverev won his maiden US Open title on Sunday, beating eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 5-7 6-2 in three hours and 33 minutes at Flushing Meadows. The German broke in the opening game and dominated the second-set tie-break before Shelton dug in to take the third, but an early break in the fourth settled the contest. The ending was bizarre: Shelton's return sailed long on match point, yet Zverev hit the balls back ready for another game, only realising he had won when he glanced at the big screen.

Shelton, 23, was bidding to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and had walked out to a rapturous reception from 23,000 partisan spectators inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, with Brad Pitt, Rami Malek and Pierce Brosnan among the crowd. According to the PA News Agency, he is the first black American man to reach the final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. He double-faulted to hand Zverev the first break and could not force a break point in the opening two sets, though he did convert on his third-set chance before faltering again.

According to Sky Sports, Zverev was competing as a No 1 seed at a Grand Slam for the first time and arrived having spent 19 hours and 38 minutes on court en route to the final, the fourth-longest total recorded by a player reaching a major final since 1991. The win is his 26th singles title, his 60th top-10 win, and his second Grand Slam of 2026 after the French Open, moving him to 6-0 in his head-to-head with Shelton. Shelton had never beaten Zverev in five previous meetings, though he had not beaten Tsitsipas or Alcaraz before this tournament either.

Zverev told Sky Sports Tennis that 2026 should be the year the Zverev family enjoys tennis after years of Grand Slam suffering, saying that three months earlier he would have signed for one career Slam 'straight away'. He credited his mother Irina for refusing to let his childhood type 1 diabetes diagnosis dictate his future, and PA reports he used an insulin pen in his leg during the fourth set. Shelton vowed he is 'just getting started' and will be back, while pundits Tim Henman and Marion Bartoli pointed to Zverev's aggression and experience edge as decisive factors.