Alexander Zverev finally got his hands on the US Open trophy after defeating Ben Shelton in the 2026 men’s singles final at Arthur Ashe StadiumThe German won 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to claim his second Grand Slam title of the season.
The victory was especially important for Zverev because of what happened six years agoHe had reached the US Open final in 2020 but let a two-set lead slip against Dominic ThiemThiem came back to win 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 in the first US Open final decided by a fifth-set tiebreak.
Zverev entered the 2026 tournament as the top seed and had already ended his wait for a Grand Slam title by winning the French Open earlier this yearHe also reached the Wimbledon final, making this one of the strongest seasons of his career.
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His run in New York did not start smoothlyZverev needed five sets to get past Lorenzo Sonego in the opening round, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-5, 6-4Sonego came close to causing an upset but Zverev stayed in the match and finished the job.
The German then had another tough match against Quentin HalysZverev again went the distance, beating the Frenchman 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3.
After those two difficult matches, Zverev found his rhythmHe defeated Alejandro Tabilo in the third round and Luciano Darderi in the fourth, both in straight setsHe then beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 in the quarter-final.
In the semi-final, Zverev faced Karen KhachanovHe won 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6), reaching his second US Open final.
The final against Shelton was another testZverev took the first set 6-3 and won the second in a tiebreakShelton fought back in the third, taking it 7-5 and giving the home crowd hopeBut Zverev stayed calm and took control again in the fourth set, winning 6-2.
Zverev’s serve and baseline game caused problems for Shelton throughout the matchThe German finished with nine aces and won 85 per cent of his first-serve points.
Alexander Zverev now has two Grand Slam titles, with his first coming at Roland Garros earlier this yearThe US Open title also makes his 2026 season even stronger after years of coming close at the biggest tournaments.
