Alexander Zverev looked composed and solid when he defeated American hope Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday to capture his maiden US Open title and his second Grand Slam championship of the season.
Six years after suffering a devastating collapse from two sets up against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 final, the top-seeded German finally claimed the elusive Flushing Meadows trophy. Playing in front of a heavily partisan Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, Zverev weathered early nerves from Shelton (who was contesting his first major final) and systematically dismantled his opponent by dictating the baseline rallies.
After cruising through the first two sets, Zverev hit a temporary speed bump in the third when Shelton ignited the home crowd by breaking serve to snatch a tight set. Any thoughts of a dramatic American comeback were quickly extinguished in the fourth, however, as Zverev broke immediately and cruised to victory in 3 hours and 33 minutes.
“I want to thank my team. We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we’ve won two within the span of three months,” Zverev said after the match.
Shelton was aiming to become the first American man to win a major singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003. However, he did not reach the level we’ve seen him in recent matches, not at least vs Alcaraz and Tiafoe, and he produced plenty of unforced errors, as well as double faults, throughout the whole match.
The final even featured a touch of comedy on championship point: caught up in the moment, Zverev momentarily forgot the match was over and casually retreated to the baseline to receive another serve before realizing he had won and raising his arms in triumph.
A SECOND Grand Slam for Alexander Zverev…
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) September 13, 2026
AND HE DIDN’T EVEN REALISE ? @AlexZverev #USOpen pic.twitter.com/ugbITobwjT
World no 1 next?
The victory solidifies what has been a superb 2026 campaign for the 29-year-old German, who also triumphed at Roland Garros in June. has now become just the fourth man in the Open Era to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
With the 2,000 ranking points for the title, Zverev has taken a massive step towards the world No. 1 ranking.
While reigning Wimbledon champion Jannik Sinner maintains the top spot with 11,500 points, Zverev’s title run lifts him to 9,690 points, slashing Sinner’s lead down to a manageable 1,810 points. Because Sinner missed the tournament due to injury and will be defending a heavy load of points from multiple late-season titles won in 2025, the door is wide open.
Furthermore, Zverev has already overtaken Sinner in the 2026 Race to Turin, pulling 700 points clear atop the season-long standings. With upcoming Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris on the horizon, Zverev is closer than ever to capturing the world No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career.
