finally finished the job in New York. Six years after he led a US Open final by two sets and lost it, the top seed beat 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday (September 13) at Arthur Ashe Stadium to win his first Flushing Meadows title and a second Grand Slam of 2026.
The German top seed needed 3 hours and 33 minutes to finish the job. After taking Roland Garros in June and reaching the Wimbledon final, Zverev became only the fourth man in the Open Era to win his first two majors in one year.
Ben Shelton, 23, was playing his first major final. He had beaten Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in the quarter-finals and in the semi-finals. An American man has not won a Slam since Andy Roddick here in 2003. A Black American man has not won one since Arthur Ashe. That wait goes on.
served first and was broken in the opening game. Two double faults on break points hurt him. Zverev took the first set 6-3 when Shelton netted another double fault.
The second set stayed on serve until a tie-break. Zverev raced to 5-0 and closed it 7-2. He had looked the calmer player all afternoon, walking the baseline and taking time on his serve. Shelton even complained to the chair about the German’s long bouncing routine.
The home crowd finally had something to roar about in the third set. Shelton held serve with ease and then broke Zverev for the first time in the match, ending a long run of service holds, when the German leaked errors in the 12th game. Shelton took the set 7-5.
broke in the first game of the fourth set and never let the match drift again. He dictated from the back of the court, redirected Shelton’s pace, and won the longer rallies. Shelton’s first-strike plan never stuck for a full set after that. Zverev closed 6-2.
This was a different final from the empty 2020 Ashe Stadium night when he lost to Dominic Thiem. “Back then of course, it was my first grand slam final. I was inexperienced. I was still a young guy, I would say. Yeah, just different. Everything is different,” Zverev said earlier in the week. “I think it’s going to be a fantastic feeling playing, you know, a final in a sold-out Arthur Ashe and not in an empty one.”
Asked before Sunday if he could finish 2026 with more Slams than Alcaraz and , he did not dodge it. “I believed in it. I believed that it’s possible. I think not many of you guys did.” On this evidence, he was right.
Shelton will rise to a career-high ranking. Zverev moves 700 points clear of Sinner in the race to Turin and sits 25-2 at majors this year. The German has the New York trophy he missed six years ago. The American drought remains 23 years long.
