Germany's Alexander Zverev beat American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York, denying the home crowd a first men's Grand Slam champion in 23 years.
Shelton, playing in his first major final, had hoped to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick lifted the US Open trophy in 2003. The US Open is the last of tennis's four Grand Slam tournaments each year and is played on hard courts at Flushing Meadows, with Arthur Ashe Stadium as its main show court.
Zverev was so absorbed in the contest that he did not immediately realise he had won. As the stadium erupted, he began walking toward the baseline believing he still had a service game left to play.
"I thought it was 5-1. I knew I broke him twice, I thought 'okay, I'm going to have a relaxed service game here, and then get tight,'" he said after the match. "Teachers always tell you, forget about the score - I forgot about the score, and it helped me."
A One-Sided Rivalry
The win extended Zverev's record against Shelton to five wins from five meetings. Zverev, who has traditionally played well against left-handers such as the 23-year-old Shelton, looked settled from the start and was able to wait for his opponent to make errors at key moments.
Shelton had walked out to a roaring, partisan crowd with a determined look, but the composure did not last long. The shots that had beaten Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe earlier in the tournament began sailing long or catching the net.
Zverev broke Shelton's opening service game to seize early control, playing off a reliable backhand and dictating tempo through long rallies. Shelton was also unsettled by Zverev's lengthy ball-bouncing routine before serving, which averaged around 10 seconds and added up to two hours and 30 minutes of bouncing across the tournament heading into the final. A time violation from chair umpire Marijana Veljovic in the fourth set did not break the habit.
Shelton, whose serve regularly touches beyond 140mph, steadied the first set with the help of that weapon, though he showed only flashes of the creativity that had carried him past Alcaraz and Tiafoe. Double faults proved costly, handing Zverev the break that sealed the opening set, and Zverev was able to absorb the pace of Shelton's return to control the second-set tiebreak, winning it 7-2.
Shelton Fights Back
Shelton, the tournament's comeback king in New York this week, kept pace through the third set and piled pressure on a player with a history of tightening up in big moments. A double fault from Zverev ended his run of 67 consecutive holds against Shelton, and the American took the set 7-5.
Shelton could not sustain the momentum into the fourth. Zverev broke his serve again early, and the American's resistance faded as Zverev closed out the match 6-2. The crowd stayed loud for their player throughout, at times turning to heckling, but Zverev said he was able to tune out the noise.
Shelton's girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, a forward for the Washington Spirit, had flown in from her own game to catch the final stages. She was seen in tears as the match slipped away from Shelton.
Managing Diabetes Through the Match
Zverev, who has type-1 diabetes, took multiple insulin injections during the contest to keep his blood sugar levels steady. The win meant he avoided a repeat of his five-set scramble against Flavio Cobolli at the French Open earlier this year, another match in which he had to manage his condition over several hours.
Zverev's Season and Off-Court Scrutiny
The US Open title is Zverev's second Grand Slam of the year, coming months after he won the French Open. It also reverses a run of near-misses in major finals, with his previous four, including the 2020 US Open final, all ending in defeat.
Zverev has faced criticism for winning both of his majors this year with the benefit of favourable draws, following the absence of Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz from the latter stages in both Paris and New York. When Sinner or Alcaraz have been present, at the Australian Open and at Wimbledon, Zverev's run has ended earlier.
He remains a divisive figure off the court. Two former partners have made domestic abuse allegations against him, and the second case went to trial before being settled by Zverev in 2024, with legal proceedings discontinued. Zverev has repeatedly denied the claims but incorrectly stated in June that his innocence had been proven.
Beating an American finalist in New York is unlikely to change how he is viewed in the United States.
