NEW YORK - Alexander Zverev continued the misery for American men by extending a decades-long streak of not winning a Grand Slam, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open finals for his second major title this year.
A pro-Shelton contingent crowd of 24,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium was left disappointed, as the drought since Andy Roddick's September 7, 2003 (Shelton was born nearly 11 months earlier) US Open victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero will now extend past the 8,407 days since the International Tennis Hall of Famer lifted the trophy at Louis Armstrong Stadium.
Shelton was attempting to become the eighth American man to win the US Open and the first left-handed champion since Rafael Nadal.
Zverev turned it on when he needed it the
most, breaking Shelton twice in the fourth set and on match point, Zverez caused one of Shelton's 47 unforced errors when his return when over his head. Zverev was so focused that he didn't realize he won the match until the crowd started its thunderous applause.
The 23-year-old, who will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings despite the loss, can somewhat quiet down questions about men's tennis in the United States, although Roddick's only Grand Slam victory at Flushing Meadows two decades ago will continue to be an annual trivia question by adding to the longest futility in American men’s Grand Slam history. Shelton had a memorable tournament, capped by a quarterfinal victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a match that lasted four hours and 28 minutes and ended at 3:33 a.m., as well as his semifinal victory over good friend Frances Tiafoe.
Zverev, the tournament's top seed, used his 6-foot-6 frame and reach to mostly neutralize Shelton's serve, which has been on the high end of 140 miles per hour during the tournament. Shelton had 20 aces in the Tiafoe win; he had only 10 in the final. Zverev took the first two and last games of the first set, as Shelton, who was broken on his initial serve, struggled to gain any kind of consistency and tried scoring crucial points with an effective second serve.
Neither man would break in the second set, sending the match to a tiebreak, where Shelton finally got his opportunity to turn the tide and took advantage. But it was not to be, as he was down 0-5 in the tiebreak, and Zverev pushed the matter to a deciding set, when Shelton's return off his serve hit the net. The third set was more of the same, resulting in another tiebreak. This time, Shelton converted; Zverev was broken in the 12th game, allowing Shelton to extend the match.
Shelton now has a 0-6 record against Zverev, winning just one set in those matchups. The 28-year-old from Germany turned it on at the US Open after struggling in the first two rounds, both of which went to five sets. He didn't drop another set until Sunday's final.
“Playing in front of you guys is a gift," Shelton said during his on-court interview. “I have the best support team in the business. To do this with my family by my side, these four guys over here who dedicate their lives to my career, spend time traveling the world with me, it’s an unnatural commitment. I appreciate you guys. I’m just getting started. I’ll be back here again."
After winning the French Open, Zverev is the first player to win his first two major titles in the same year since 2024, when Jannik Sinner, who has since won three more Grand Slams, accomplished the feat.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Zverev tops Shelton at US Open, extends American men title drought
