Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open (Express Tribune).
It is his second Grand Slam title of 2026, after the French Open.
What he said
“I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before.”
He also admitted losing track of the score: “I knew I broke him twice, but I thought it was 5-1 instead of 6-2, which helped me in a way, because I didn’t really get nervous serving out the match.”
What Shelton said
“I made too many errors when I had the ball there on my strings. I wasn’t amazing attacking on my forehand today. I wasn’t great in transition. Playing a guy like him there’s very few chances.”
The wait that ended
Zverev had been a Grand Slam finalist repeatedly without winning one until this year, most painfully at the 2020 US Open, where he lost to Dominic Thiem from two sets up. He is now world number two and within reach of the top ranking with Jannik Sinner injured.
The drought that did not end
Shelton was trying to become the first American man to win a major since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. That wait goes on — 23 years.
The fortnight this newspaper followed
We reported Zheng Qinwen’s recovery from 0-5 down against Iga Swiatek, Sabalenka surviving Linda Noskova, Tiafoe’s 4-hour-38-minute win over Alex Michelsen, Shelton’s semi-final, and Elena Rybakina taking the women’s title and the world number one ranking from Sabalenka on Saturday.
What is not established
No ranking points breakdown was reported, and there is no update on the timeline for Sinner’s return.
[Image: AFP via The Express Tribune]
