Alexander Zverev won the US Open on Sunday, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 to secure his second Grand Slam title. The championship added New York to a 2026 resume that already included a French Open victory.

What happened

Zverev controlled three of the four sets, opening with a 6-3 first set and then taking command of the second-set tiebreak. Shelton pushed back in the third, extending the match with a 7-5 set before Zverev answered decisively in the fourth.

The final turned on Zverev’s ability to recover after Shelton’s best stretch. After losing the third set, Zverev closed the match 6-2, preventing the American from turning a first major final into a longer fight.

Why it matters

The win turns Zverev’s season into one of the defining stories of the men’s Grand Slam year. After years of near misses in major finals, he now has two major titles in the same season.

Shelton’s loss still came with a breakthrough. He reached his first Grand Slam final, took a set from Zverev on the sport’s biggest stage, and left New York with a clearer place among the top American contenders.

By the numbers

Zverev won three of the four sets and took the second-set tiebreak 7-2. That tiebreak gave him a two-set lead and forced Shelton to chase the match the rest of the way.

Shelton’s third-set win carried its own historical marker. It was the first set won by an American man in a major final since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

What to watch next

Zverev now enters the next Grand Slam cycle with two major titles from 2026 and a reshaped standing in the men’s field. His US Open title, paired with Roland Garros, resets expectations around his place at the top of the sport.

Shelton leaves the tournament with his first major final appearance and proof that he can land punches deep into a Grand Slam. The next step is turning that run into a sustained challenge at the final weekend level.