Alexander Zverev Beats Ben Shelton for First US Open Title and Second Slam of 2026

Top seed Alexander Zverev claimed his first U.S. Open title and second Grand Slam of 2026 by beating eighth-seeded American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in the men’s final at Arthur Ashe Stadium, BBC Sport and Sky Sports reported after the Sept. 13 final in New York.

Zverev, who won the French Open earlier in the season, used his greater Slam experience to quiet a partisan crowd hoping Shelton would become the first American man to win a major singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003, the BBC noted. Shelton double-faulted on break point in the opening game, handing Zverev early initiative; the German then rolled the first set and dominated the second-set tie-break. Shelton finally broke through in the third set to force a fourth, but Zverev broke early in the decider and closed in three hours and 33 minutes, Sky Sports reported.

The finish was almost comic. Shelton’s return sailed long on championship point, yet Zverevthinking the score was still 5-1hit the balls back ready for another game until he glanced at the big screen and realised he had won, Sky Sports recounted. “Teachers in tennis say play each point and forget about the score. Well I forgot about the score and it helped me, Zverev told Sky Sports Tennis. Addressing his team, he told the BBC he felt 2026 repaid years of work: “We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now won two in the span of three months.

Shelton rose toward a career-high ranking after reaching his first major final and after ending a long drought against top-three opposition by beating Carlos Alcaraz in an epic quarter-final, the BBC said. “I’m excited with the progress that I feel that I’ve made, but this one stings 100%, Shelton said, citing errors on his racket. Zverev, for his part, told Sky Sports he would bet Shelton lifts the U.S. Open trophy someday—and reserved heartfelt thanks for his mother Irina for refusing to let a childhood Type 1 diabetes diagnosis define his future.

For Sports desks, the verified takeaway is structural as much as emotional: with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz sidelined for stretches of the season, Zverev converted a cleared path into two majors and stays world No. 2 while closing the gap at the top of the ATP rankings, per BBC coverage. Sheltons New York run keeps American mens tennis in the conversation; Zverev’s second major of 2026 follows his French Open title earlier in the season, per Sky Sports and BBC coverage.