By Amy Tennery
NEW YORK, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Top seed Alexander Zverev banished bitter U.S. Open memories to beat American Ben Shelton 6-3 7-6(2) 5-7 6-2 in the final on Sunday, capturing the title six years after letting a golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
The German squandered a two-set lead in the 2020 title match against Austrian Dominic Thiem but now armed with a champion's mentality following his breakthrough triumph at Roland Garros in June, he broke American hearts with a devastating
display against Shelton.
"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," Zverev said during the presentation ceremony.
The home fans were desperate to see Shelton end a 23-year American men's Grand Slam drought but the eighth seed never found his top form in his first major final.
"I know that today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win so I'm very sorry," said Zverev. "Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair and we as players we appreciate it."
Zverev was so focused on the job at hand, he did not even realise he had won the title when Shelton smacked a service return long.
As the umpire announced 'Game, set and match Zverev', the German headed back to the baseline, ready to receive Shelton's serve.
It took him a few seconds to register why the cheering fans were giving him a standing ovation -- as he belatedly cracked a smile and ran to the net to embrace Shelton.
He was beaming again as he was handed a Grand Slam record $5.5 million winner's prize.
ZVEREV GETS HOT START
In a battle between two of tennis' most explosive players, it was Zverev who had all the early firepower, as Shelton's inexperience showed with a double fault on break point in the opening game.
Shelton produced one of the points of the match in the sixth game, scrambling to reach a drop shot and prevailing in a tense exchange at the net.
Encouraged by his team, the American mixed in serve-and-volley tactics in an attempt to shift the momentum, but the move proved ineffective and he handed Zverev the set with a double fault.
The partisan crowd tried to get under Zverev's skin in the second set, cheering wildly after he produced a double fault in the ninth game. But the German refused to get distracted, surging to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak as the fans desperately chanted "Let's go, Ben!"
Zverev looked like he would roll to the finish line in the third set as he saved a break point in the sixth game with a lethal backhand winner.
Shelton's frustration boiled over two games later when he slipped and crashed to the court, prompting the American to let out an expletive.
But Shelton dug in his heels, subduing his opponent with a series of powerful groundstrokes from the baseline to break serve and force a fourth set.
Shelton's resilience only delayed the inevitable as Zverev came through a 25-shot rally to secure an early break in the deciding set. He never let go of that advantage as he finally got the chance to hoist the U.S. Open trophy on his 11th appearance at the hardcourt major.
"My successes are a gift, the failures are a gift, and being here playing in front of you guys is a gift," said Shelton, the first Black American man in 54 years to contest the New York final after Arthur Ashe.
The victory marked another step in Zverev's efforts to move beyond a series of painful Grand Slam disappointments. The German's career has also been overshadowed by off-court allegations of domestic violence, which he has repeatedly denied.
"We went 30 years without winning a Slam title and now won two in the span of three months," he said.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery and Shrivathsa Sridhar in New York; editing by Pritha Sarkar)
