Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton in the US Open men’s singles final in New York, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 to take his second Grand Slam title.
The German top seed, 29, had won his first major at this year’s French Open after years of near-misses, and has now added a second inside a season. Coming into 2026 there were open questions about whether he would ever win one at all.
How the final turned
Shelton dropped serve in the opening game of the match, and Zverev controlled the first two sets from there, taking the tie-break 7-2.
The eighth seed pushed back in the third. Shelton finally began applying real pressure on the Zverev serve and converted his third break chance, lifting the 24,000 spectators on Arthur Ashe Stadium. But he opened the fourth set with a poor service game, and Zverev reasserted himself to close it out.
Zverev did not immediately realise he had won. When Shelton hit a return long on championship point he only broke into a broad, slightly surprised smile after his team pointed out the score.
Context
Shelton, 23, was trying to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open — the year Shelton was born. It was his first major final.
Zverev’s path was partially cleared by injuries to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who had shared every major between them in 2024 and 2025. Zverev has taken full advantage of their absences against the rest of the field.
The women’s title went to Elena Rybakina, who beat Aryna Sabalenka to win her first US Open and take the world number one ranking.
Not reported
Neither source gave the match duration, the serve and winner counts, or post-match quotes from either player. Neither said how the result changes the world rankings, or gave a return date for Sinner or Alcaraz.
