Six years after heartbreak in 2020, Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton to finally win the US Open

Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy after winning the US Open men’s singles final against Ben Shelton. (AP photo) Alexander Zverev finally got his hands on the US Open trophy that once seemed to be his, overcoming an American hopeful and his own painful Grand Slam history to beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday.Six years after blowing a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, Zverev completed one of the biggest unfinished business of his career. The German, who became the Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros earlier this year, added a second major title in New York to cap off a remarkable 2026 season.“I think God saw how hard we worked, how we suffered, how much pain we went through, and I think 2026 is the result of all the years that happened before,” Zverev said when presenting the trophy.The win also ended a remarkably disappointing run of Grand Slam finals for Zverev, who had previously reached the championship match at the 2020 US Open and 2024 French Open before finally breaking through in Paris this year.

Zverev was silenced by a partisan crowd in New York

The home crowd was desperate for Shelton to end a 23-year wait for an American male Grand Slam title. The eighth player was attempting to become the first American to win a major since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open and the first black man to win the title since Arthur Ashe in 1968.But Zverev refused to be intimidated by the partisan atmosphere.“I know today 99.9% of people wanted Ben to win, so I’m very sorry,” Zverev said. “Even though I know the crowd was against me, the crowd has always been incredibly fair and we as players appreciate that.The German made a perfect start and capitalized on Shelton’s nerves in his first Grand Slam final. Shelton double-faulted in the opening game and Zverev held the advantage throughout the set, ending it when the American committed another double fault.Zverev’s composure showed even more in the second set. With the crowd trying to lift Shelton and at times reacting loudly to Zverev’s mistakes, the top seed stayed focused and raced through the tiebreak, taking a 5-0 lead before closing out for 7-2.

Ben Shelton (AP Photo)

Shelton fights back but Zverev refuses to crack

However, Shelton refused to give up.Zverev looked on his way to a straight sets win after saving a break point with a stunning backhand winner in the sixth game of the third set. Shelton then slipped and landed on the court, but seemed encouraged by the obstacle.The American began to find more depth and power from the baseline, eventually breaking Zverev for the first and only time in the match. He held his nerve to take the third set 7-5 and send the final into the fourth.But that was the end of the comeback.Zverev immediately broke Shelton’s serve early in the fourth set and then survived a 25-shot break to strengthen his grip on the match. The German never relinquished his advantage and eventually closed out the match 6-2.In an almost surreal moment, Zverev was initially unaware that he had won. After Shelton sent a return long for a match point, Zverev instinctively returned to the baseline as if preparing for another serve.It was only after the referee announced: “Game, set and match Zverev” and the crowd rose to applaud that the German realized the title was his. He smiled, raised his arms and headed toward the net to give Shelton a hug.

From heartbreak 2020 to glory 2026

The triumph erased one of the most painful chapters of Zverev’s career. In 2020, he led Thiem by two sets and came close to winning by two points before becoming the first man since 1949 to lose a Grand Slam final after winning the opening two sets.This time there was no collapse.Zverev is now 25-2 in Grand Slam matches in 2026, having won the French Open, reached the Wimbledon final and then won his second major title in New York.He also earned a record $5.5 million winner’s prize, matching women’s champion Elena Rybakin’s payout on Saturday as the biggest in Grand Slam history.Meanwhile, Shelton leaves New York with his own breakthrough, despite failing to make it. He stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the five-set quarter-final, which ended at 3.33am, but was unable to complete the ultimate upset.“You’re one of the best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev.For Zverev, there was no better way to answer the ghosts of 2020 than to lift the US Open trophy for good.“We haven’t won a slam title in 30 years and now we’ve won two in the space of three months,” he said.