Alexander Zverev ended Ben Shelton’s fairytale run on home soil to lift the US Open trophy, beating the American hope 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in a gripping New York final.
Shelton had been chasing a landmark moment as the first American man in 23 years to win a Grand Slam title. But in his first major final, experience ultimately overcame momentum. His late response against the French Open champion offered hope, though it arrived too late and did not last long enough.
Zverev was so locked into the contest that he initially did not realise the championship point had sealed the match. As Arthur Ashe Stadium burst into celebration, he began walking across court as though Shelton was about to serve again.
“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,’” Zverev said with a laugh after the final. “Teachers always tell you, forget about the score – I forgot about the score, and it helped me.”
Their head-to-head record had pointed strongly in Zverev’s direction, with the German having won each of their previous five meetings. Particularly effective against left-handed opponents such as 23-year-old Shelton, Zverev played with complete assurance, staying solid enough to let the American’s mistakes surface at the biggest moments.
Shelton entered Arthur Ashe Stadium to a thunderous, partisan reception, his expression set with determination. Yet that early intensity soon faded. The fearless winners that had powered him past Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe earlier in the tournament began missing their mark, sailing beyond the baseline or finding the net.
Alexander Zverev won his first US Open crown only months after capturing the French Open title
Ben Shelton had the backing of an entire nation but was unable to produce one more comeback
His girlfriend, Trinity Rodman, who travelled from her Washington Spirit match to attend the latter stages, was reduced to tears
The pressure showed quickly. The top seed broke Shelton in his opening service game and immediately established control. Zverev dictated play with his reliable backhand, absorbed the longest exchanges and varied the tempo at will, while Shelton’s frustration grew over the German’s prolonged pre-serve ball bouncing.
MORE STORY: One Nation Unveils Plan to Cut Migration by 750,000
A feature at this US Open only, Zverev has averaged 10 seconds of bouncing before either first or second serves. That’s two hours and 30 minutes of interminable up-and-down, before the final. Even a time violation from chair umpire Marijana Veljovic in the fourth set could not end his rhythm-breaking, rule-bending, habit.
After that opening wobble, Shelton was able to get the set back on track with the help of his weapon of a serve, which frequently hits 140mph-plus. But it was a meat-and-potatoes game, with only flashes of the inventiveness he showed against Tiafoe or Alcaraz.
When the serve didn’t work, it was fatal. Double faults sealed the opening break of Shelton’s serve, and handed Zverev the set. It also did little to help him in the second-set tiebreak, with Zverev capable of absorbing all of its zip and dictate from return.
Shelton was full of fight, keeping pace deep in the third and heaping the pressure on a player with a long history of tightening up in the biggest moments. Another double fault, this time the German’s, and the end of his 67 consecutive holds against Shelton.
Shelton has been the comeback king of New York, but his blood was too hot going into the fourth and Zverev pounced with a second break of his opening serve. That doused the flames of patriotism fired-up inside Ashe pretty quickly.
The crowd never truly died down for their battling player, at times slipping into classless heckling. But Zverev tuned out the noise capably, just as the type-1 diabetic impressively managed multiple injections of insulin during the contest to keep his blood sugar levels steady. Long tennis’ nearly-man, he had already survived the five-set scramble against Flavio Cobolli in Paris. Avoiding a second should be counted as growth.
Zverev will never be a universally popular champion. His game is considered and clinical, but lacks a flash and flair to tempt the neutral. There’s the smog of domestic abuse allegations from two ex-partners, the second of which went to trial, and was settled by Zverev in 2024 with legal proceedings discontinued.
Zverev has repeatedly denied these claims but incorrectly stated in June that his innocence has been proven. Beating an American in New York will not do much to bolster his appeal Stateside.
But there is much to admire about Zverev’s capacity to seize his moment this year, after his previous four Grand Slam finals – including 2020’s in New York – slipped through his fingers.
He has been criticised for winning his two majors with fortunate draws en route, but he cannot choose his opponents, only beat them. And with the absence of Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz in the later stages in Paris and New York, Zverev has not wasted his opportunity. Of course, when they have been there, at the Australian Open, and at Wimbledon, his run has ended. He continues to look up at their singular rivalry.