Tennis: Alexander Zverev wins the US Open, securing his second Grand Slam title.

Published on: 14/09/2026 - 00:06

2 min Reading time

Long regarded as one of the greatest players never to win a major tournament, the 29-year-old German played in New York his third consecutive Grand Slam final, following his title in Paris and his loss at Wimbledon to world number 1 Jannik Sinner. This first title at the US Open also serves as a significant redemption for the Hamburg giant (1.98 m), six years after a bitter defeat in New York during his first Grand Slam final.

In a final held in an empty Arthur Ashe Stadium due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Zverev, then 23, lost in five sets to Austrian Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets and being two points away from the title. This defeat was followed by two more disappointments, in the Roland-Garros final against Carlos Alcaraz in 2024, and in the Australian Open final against Jannik Sinner in 2025.

After being eliminated by Shelton in the quarter-finals, Alcaraz returned to New York after more than four months out due to injury, while Sinner was absent with a right knee injury. Reflecting his career, Zverev overcame numerous obstacles to triumph at Flushing Meadows, having faced a tough North American swing and a challenging start to the fortnight. In the first two rounds, he had to battle through five sets to defeat Italian Lorenzo Sonego (89th) and then Frenchman Quentin Halys (52nd).

A Dominant Match

On the main court, the German displayed near-total control from the outset of the final, as Shelton, likely under pressure, lost his serve right away with a double fault, before dropping the first set also due to another double fault. Zverev then confidently managed the tie-break in the second set, but loosened his grip a bit in the third set, allowing Shelton to come back to two sets to one. However, thanks to his experience, Zverev broke immediately and maintained the pressure until the end, winning the match in 3 hours and 33 minutes with a winning serve, unaware that he had just secured the title.

This first triumph at the US Open places him just under 2,000 points behind world number 1 Jannik Sinner. Ben Shelton, for his part, will reach fourth place in the world rankings on Monday, his highest ranking as he approaches his 24th birthday.