Zverev coldly extinguishes the historic dream of American tennis

(US Open 2026 Result) - Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton in four sets to claim his first US Open championship, wiping away his painful memories in New York and crushing the 23-year wait for American men's tennis.

Alexander Zverev closed out US Open 2026 with a 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 victory over Ben Shelton in the men's singles final. The title in New York not only added another major milestone to the German's career but also carried special meaning after what he had experienced at this very tournament.

Six years ago, Zverev was very close to the US Open title when he led Dominic Thiem by two sets in the 2020 final. However, that golden opportunity slipped away after a painful comeback. That memory became one of the biggest scars in Zverev's career, before he returned to New York with a completely different mindset.

“I think God saw how hard we worked, how much we endured and suffered. I think 2026 is the result of all those years before,”, Zverev shared during the trophy ceremony.

Against Shelton, Zverev started coldly and made the most of his opponent's tension. The American committed a double fault on the first game when facing break point, allowing the top seed to take control early. Shelton then tried to change tactics with net approaches and powerful shots, but continued to make errors at crucial moments and lost the first set.

The pressure on Shelton was immense. The New York crowd expected him to end the 23-year drought of American men's singles Grand Slam titles. However, in his first major final, the eighth seed could not maintain consistency against a more composed Zverev.

“I know today 99.9% of the audience wanted Ben to win, so I'm very sorry. Even though I knew the crowd was on the opponent's side, they were always fair and we, as players, truly appreciate that,”, Zverev said.

The second set saw Shelton gain energy from the stands, especially as American fans repeatedly chanted "Let's go, Ben!" Nevertheless, Zverev was not drawn into that atmosphere. He dominated the tie-break 7-2 to take a 2-0 lead, replicating the exact position he had in the 2020 US Open final, but this time he did not let the tragedy repeat.

Shelton fought back in the third set with powerful groundstrokes from the baseline. The American broke serve successfully, cutting the deficit to 1-2 and keeping hope alive for the home crowd. But that effort only delayed Zverev's coronation. In the fourth set, the German won a 25-shot rally to secure an early break, then held the advantage until the end.

Zverev's coronation moment became even more special as he did not realize he had won. After Shelton's failed return, the German still turned back to the baseline ready to receive serve, before understanding the match had ended and running to the net to hug his opponent.

From someone who once let a seemingly sure opportunity slip away, Zverev returned to New York with a colder and more mature version. The US Open 2026 trophy therefore is not just a title, but also a statement for overcoming the biggest failures in his career.

“We went 30 years without a Grand Slam title, and now we've won two championships in just three months,”, Zverev said.