Alexander Zverev ended Germany’s long wait for a men’s singles champion in New York, defeating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium. He became the first German man to lift the US Open trophy since Boris Becker triumphed in 1989.
A tiebreak that settled the final
The second set had tightened after Zverev controlled the opener. Shelton levelled the tiebreak at 6-6, but Zverev responded with two of his finest shots of the tournament. A crisp passing shot and a redirected ball into the corner built a 5-0 run and closed the breaker 7-2.
That cushion felt insurmountable. Shelton earned his first break of Zverev’s serve all evening — after 66 straight holds — to steal the third set 7-5. The fourth set opened with a punishing 24-shot rally that forced a backhand error from the American, handing Zverev an immediate break and a lead he never surrendered.
From Paris to New York, a season of arrival
This was not Zverev’s first Grand Slam title. He had secured that milestone three months earlier at Roland Garros, beating Flavio Cobolli in five sets. The US Open victory delivered his second major and a rare distinction: he is only the second German man in the Open Era to win multiple Grand Slam singles titles, joining Becker.
The win also held a quiet personal echo. Six years earlier, in an empty stadium, Zverev had let the same trophy slip from a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem. This time, the work was finished on his first match point.
“I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through,” Zverev told reporters afterwards, addressing his team. He improved his career record against Shelton to a perfect 6-0, denying the American’s bid to become the first US man to win a major since 2003.
On a temperate September evening in Queens, Germany reclaimed a prize it had last held when the Berlin Wall still stood.
