New York: Alexander Zverev has claimed his second Grand Slam title of the year after defeating American Ben Shelton in four sets in the US Open final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The top-seeded German secured a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 victory to add the US Open crown to his French Open triumph earlier this season. The win also made Zverev only the fourth man in the Open Era, after Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas and Jannik Sinner, to capture his first two Grand Slam titles in the same year.
Shelton, who was appearing in his first Grand Slam final, fought back strongly in the third set after trailing for much of the contest. With Zverev serving for the match at 6-5, the American finally found his range on return and broke serve to extend the final into a fourth set.
However, Shelton’s momentum was short-lived. Zverev immediately broke at the beginning of the fourth set and regained control before closing out the match with another dominant service performance. The victory continued Zverev’s perfect record against Shelton, with the German now leading their head-to-head meetings 6-0. His consistency from the baseline and powerful two-handed backhand repeatedly neutralised Shelton’s dangerous forehand.
Zverev also held a significant advantage on serve. He landed 69 percent of his first serves and won 85 percent of points behind them, while Shelton struggled with his delivery at crucial moments. The American double-faulted on break point in the opening game and later committed another double fault on set point to hand Zverev a second break.
The second set proved to be another turning point. Shelton managed to hold his serve more effectively and forced a tie-break, but Zverev raised his level when it mattered most. He secured two early mini-breaks and quickly moved to a 5-0 lead before taking the set 7-2 in the tie-break.
Shelton refused to surrender and produced his best tennis in the third set, eventually forcing a fourth after breaking Zverev at 6-5. Despite his efforts, the German quickly restored his advantage and finished the match in convincing fashion.
The result ends Shelton’s bid to become the first Black American man since Arthur Ashe in 1968 and the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win the US Open men’s singles title. Despite the defeat, Shelton enjoyed the strongest summer of his career.
The 23-year-old won his second Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open, reached his first Grand Slam final and climbed to a career-high world ranking of No. 4. For Zverev, the US Open triumph caps a remarkable Grand Slam campaign. After beginning the season still searching for his first major title, he has now secured two Grand Slam crowns in the same year and further strengthened his position among the leading players in men’s tennis.
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