Alexander Zverev Wins First US Open Title and Denies American Breakthrough

The top-seeded Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in three hours and 33 minutes on Sunday to win his first career US Open title and second Grand Slam. In the process, he also denied Shelton’s bid to become the first American man to win the tournament since 2003, leaving American fans disappointed after their most hopeful run in years.

Redemption for Zverev

Zverev’s win on Sunday completed a redemption arc six years in the making for the German player. In 2020, he led Dominic Thiem two sets to love in the US Open final before eventually losing in five, later telling his team through tears, “I hope one day we’re all gonna lift that trophy up together.”

Zverev kept his word after hoisting the trophy in Flushing Meadows this past weekend. It marked his second major title of the season, following his French Open breakthrough in June, making him just the fourth man in history to win his first two Grand Slams in the same calendar year. He finishes 2026 with a 25-2 record at majors, the most match wins of any player this season.

In the final, Zverev broke Shelton in the opening game and controlled most of the match behind his return game, jumping out to a two-sets-to-love lead after a dominant tiebreak. Shelton clawed back to win the third set, but Zverev broke immediately to open the fourth and closed it out by winning five of the last seven games.

Shelton’s Breakthrough Run

Ben Shelton’s run to the final was historic in its own right, regardless of the outcome. His semifinal win over fellow American Frances Tiafoe made him the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1968, and he’d already knocked out defending champion Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the tournament.

Shelton was gracious following his defeat, calling the tournament a step toward bigger things to come, and even calling the US Open his “happy place.” Zverev praised Shelton in his trophy speech, saying, “Ben, you’re an incredible player, an incredible person… I already told you you’re going to be back here many, many more times.”

Zverev’s Message to the Crowd

Zverev was well aware that the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd was overwhelmingly behind his opponent, and addressed it after the match. “I know that 99.9% of the crowd wanted Ben to win,” he said, smiling. “You guys brought the energy. You brought the noise.”

During the trophy ceremony, he also reflected on ending Germany’s three-decade wait for a Grand Slam champion. “We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title, and now we’ve won two in the span of three months,” Zverev said, referencing Boris Becker’s 1996 Australian Open title as the country’s last men's major before his own French Open win this year.

Although they didn’t get the ending they hoped for, Americans still got to witness some history at this year’s US Open final.

Takeaways from the 2026 US Open

Zverev’s win extends American men’s Grand Slam drought, still without a champion since Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open title. It capped an unpredictable tournament that saw Jannik Sinner withdraw and defending champion Carlos Alcaraz fall in the quarterfinals, clearing a path that Zverev made the most of. He earned $5.5 million for the win, the largest single payout in tennis history, matching what women's champion Elena Rybakina collected just a day earlier.

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