Let’s get the obvious part out of the way immediately: This stinks.

Ben Shelton had a chance to end a 23-year Grand Slam drought for American men’s tennis on Sunday afternoon in New York. Instead, Alexander Zverev beat him 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 to win theU.S. Openand capture his second Grand Slam title of the year.

American men’s tennismissed a golden opportunity, but Shelton gave America a tennis star worth rooting for.

It's not the same as winning, but it's a major positive step for a country desperate to find the next great American player.

Shelton, making his first career Grand Slam final appearance, looked nervous from the start. The first game told us exactly what kind of afternoon this might be.

He committed two errors to give Zverev an immediate break point, then double-faulted to hand over the break in the first game of the match. Shelton double-faulted again on set point to drop the opening set, 6-3.

LADIES AT THE US OPEN WERE CAUGHT ON CAMERA TAKING NOTICE OF A SHIRTLESS CARLOS ALCARAZ

The second set played out on even terms until the tiebreak, which is where Shelton’s game fell apart. Zverev raced to a 5-0 lead and took it 7-2.

Zverev wasn’t blowing Shelton off the court, which is what made the match so frustrating to watch. Shelton kept getting into winnable points on Zverev’s serve, only to miss a forehand, dump a backhand into the net or choose the wrong shot at the wrong moment.

For most of the match, Shelton looked like the more gifted player. His power, athleticism and creativity are fun to watch. The 23-year-old American produced most of the shots that made the crowd gasp and his serve regularly crossed 140 mph. His flashes of greatness showed that he's much more than another American man with a big serve.

But the inconsistency killed his chances to win his first Grand Slam title.

Zverev didn’t need to be spectacular. He served well, kept the ball in play and waited for Shelton to crack. Steady isn’t particularly exciting, but it wins Grand Slam finals when the guy on the other side keeps giving away points. And Zverev's win at the French Open earlier this summer gave him a crucial edge in experience that showed up throughout the match.

Still, Shelton didn’t go quietly.

He finally earned his first break point of the match with Zverev serving at 2-3 in the third set, but the German erased it. Shelton kept holding, waited for another chance and pounced with Zverev serving at 5-6. He jumped ahead 0-40 and converted his second set point when Zverev missed a routine volley.

So, Shelton had life.

Then he immediately put himself in trouble again. Shelton led 30-0 in his opening service game of the fourth set before a double fault and another forehand error opened the door. He saved one break point with a gutsy serve-and-volley play, but Zverev eventually broke and never gave it back.

That was essentially the match. Zverev broke Shelton again at 4-2 before serving out the match in the final game. There was a funny moment at the very end, as Zverev didn't realize he had just won the U.S. Open.

After a Shelton return went long, Zverev appeared to think there was more tennis to play. He went to serve again before realizing the match was over and he was the champion. At that point, a huge smile crept over his face and he threw his arms in the air.

On the other side, a clearly frustrated Ben Shelton appeared to be holding back his emotions as he went to shake his opponent's hand.

This was the opportunity.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew prior to the tournament because of a knee injury. Novak Djokovic lost in the first round.Shelton stunned defending champion Carlos Alcarazin a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 in the morning.

The three biggest obstacles were gone and Shelton was responsible for eliminating one of them.

US OPEN WINNER ANDY RODDICK DEFENDS LATE FINISHES AMID CRITICISM AFTER BEN SHELTON-CARLOS ALCARAZ THRILLER

Zverev was hardly an easy opponent. Hewon the French Open in June, reached the Wimbledon final and entered Sunday having beaten Shelton in all five of their previous meetings.

Now the 29-year-old owns two major championships.

Over the past 30 years, only seven other men have won multiple Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year: Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Sinner.

That’s elite company.

Zverev’s off-the-court legacy is more complicated. He has faced domestic abuse allegations from two former partners, both of which he has denied. The ATP closed an investigation into one set of allegations in 2023 after finding insufficient evidence to substantiate the claims, and a German court closed a separate case in 2024 after a settlement with no finding or admission of guilt.

On the court, there’s no longer any debate about whether Zverev can handle the final Sunday of a major. He proved it in Paris and did it again in New York.

But this was still a winnable final for Shelton. Since Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open, American men have gone 0-for-7 in Grand Slam finals. Roddick accounted for four of those losses, while Andre Agassi, Taylor Fritz and now Shelton each fell once.

American men’s tennis couldn’t have asked for a clearer path to ending the drought. It still couldn’t finish the job and, because of that, it's a failure.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

Of course, ESPN immediately tried to turn Shelton’s run into a story about race.

\"It’s more than just Ben Shelton’s first U.S. Open Final,\" the network posted after his semifinal victory.

ESPN then noted that Shelton was the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. That’s historically accurate.

But Shelton never made this run about his skin color. The media wanted to put him in that box, and he didn’t follow them there.

He’s an American. That’s what mattered.

Shelton has consistently used his platform to talk about his Christian faith, his family and his country. After winning in Australia earlier this year, he signed a television camera with the message, \"USA ’til it’s backwards.\"

After beating Alcaraz in the biggest victory of his career, Shelton immediately pointed to his faith.

\"I’m just so grateful, so blessed. God’s blessed me in so many ways,\" Shelton said.

He made a similar point after winning in Montreal earlier this summer, saying, \"I would be nowhere without my faith. That’s what’s most important to me.\"

Then came Friday’s semifinalagainst Frances Tiafoe, played on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Shelton spoke about the sacrifices his parents made and dedicated the victory to his late grandmother. He asked the New York crowd to return for the final because, as he put it, \"We’re going for it here.\"

\"Do this for the USA,\" Shelton said.

Before leaving the court, completely unprompted, Shelton offered his thoughts and prayers to the families affected by 9/11 and called New York one of the greatest cities in the world.

That’s the guy America has watched for the past two weeks.

He’s powerful, emotional and wildly entertaining. He also loves his family, talks openly about God and treats representing the United States as an honor, not a burden.

Now, let’s not pretend losing a Grand Slam final is the same as winning one because it isn't. Ben Shelton will be the first one to say that, too. He had the chance American men’s tennis had been waiting more than two decades to get, and he didn’t finish the job.

But Shelton’s tournament was still a massive win for him and for American tennis.

He beat Carlos Alcaraz and reached his first Grand Slam final. He had a chance to give up against Zverev, but he kept fighting and forced a fourth set. He showed the composure, faith and love of country that make American sports fans want to invest in a player.

Shelton didn’t deliver America a trophy on Sunday.

But he gave us a tennis star we can’t wait to watch try again.

",{"_281":239,"_282":319,"_283":320},"b9b82f1e-e3b2-47b8-9f60-80b509e8d9b5",{"_27":319,"_40":321,"_286":322,"_42":323,"_251":324,"_289":-5,"_29":290,"_291":325,"_293":326,"_244":327,"_80":-5,"_82":120,"_238":328,"_281":239,"_316":341},"Alexander Zverev claims first US Open after four-set battle with Ben Shelton","Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in a four-set match to win his second Grand Slam title of the year. Zverev's consistent performance from the baseline and strong serving secured the victory, ending Shelton's hopes of a historic US Open win. The tournament concludes a Grand Slam season marked by injuries to top players, with Zverev capitalizing on opportunities despite ongoing discomfort from past abuse allegations.","For a passing moment at the end of a rugged third set, hope sprung anew for Ben Shelton. He had been outserved and outplayed for nearly three hours, but at 6-5 in the third set, one game from defeat, the American finally broke through. He burst into the return game finally pounding his forehand freely and he willed himself into an unexpected fourth set.","https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/46c5bb35682d7f5c8baeff729afbf37648bf1ef6/196_0_2280_1825/master/2280.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&precrop=40:21,offset-x50,offset-y0&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctZGVmYXVsdC5wbmc&enable=upscale&s=7c922422af514924a7d210cb97daa6a5","2026-09-13T22:30:45","https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/sep/13/alexander-zverev-wins-us-open-four-sets-ben-shelton","sports",{"_27":329,"_297":330,"_137":299,"_80":331,"_311":338,"_312":339,"_314":340},"b44102597650cfa6b397c084f04f33c2726e2b8f7e5a3844a168ff9fa307ae0d","43d34ae87ebfa5d08fa6e0a1048c94e1caec5ad887423df96c9f8d9dedce9540ef4d2451440a7902e908d1ea3ca8ab05470966370be0d64d2eb7807027d45854",[332,333,334,336,337],[244,321],[44,324],[304,335,39,306],"30023:c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da:b9b82f1e-e3b2-47b8-9f60-80b509e8d9b5",[308,39],[140,338,39],"c70c3496af43d505c85c2c54b4792401b1620ba0b7793cc8e68348d7f2a209da","Alexander Zverev claims first US Open after four-set battle with Ben Shelton\nFor a passing moment at the end of a rugged third set, hope sprung anew for Ben Shelton. He had been outserved and outplayed for nearly three hours, but at 6-5 in the third set, one game from defeat, the American finally broke through. He burst into the return game finally pounding his forehand freely and he willed himself into an unexpected fourth set.\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzp3cvxjt27s74qhy9ctz5k3ujgqd3vg96pdme8nywdq6g6le2yzw6qqjxywtz8qexvvt994jnxc3j956rwc3c95ukvd3s95urqc34xquk2wry893r2nep8aa ",1789367923,"For a passing moment at the end of a rugged third set, hope sprung anew for Ben Shelton. He had been outserved and outplayed for nearly three hours, but at 6-5 in the third set, one game from defeat, the American finally broke through. He burst into the return game finally pounding his forehand freely and he willed himself into an unexpected fourth set.\nAfter he had finished pumping his fist, cupping his ear to the crowd and admirably trying to initiate a drastic momentum shift, the next sequence was most revealing. Shelton opened the fourth set with a shaky game, immediately losing his serve at the start of the set. He worked hard until the end, but he was beaten by Zverev, the top seed, who closed out a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 victory to lift his second grand slam title of the year.\nHaving started his season desperately searching for his first major title, Zverev has become just the fourth man in the open era, after Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas and Jannik Sinner to win his first two grand slam titles in the same campaign. He ended Shelton’s hopes of becoming 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.\nPerhaps the most relevant detail in this rivalry is the head to head. Zverev now leads Shelton 6-0, a comfortable match-up for the German who served far better than Shelton, remained far steadier from the baseline and, as usual, nullified the effects of the left-hander’s forehand with the quality of his elite two-handed backhand.\nIn a match between two of the biggest servers, the first job for both players was to take care of his service. A visibly tense Shelton served terribly during the decisive moments of the first set, double-faulting on break point in the first game of the match. Shelton then double-faulted on set point to hand over a second break. He was no match for Zverev from the baseline, and his forehand was far too erratic. Zverev, meanwhile, served extremely well throughout the match, landing 69% of first serves and winning 85% of first-serve points.\nShelton managed to build rhythm behind his service games in set two, putting Zverev under some pressure by forcing a tie-break, but the German handled the most important moment of the match well. He snatched the first mini-break with an excellent forehand passing-shot winner off a timid approach from Shelton, then he ended a similarly tense exchange with a vicious down-the-line forehand to take the second mini-break. Two big unreturned serves later, Zverev led 5-0 in the tie-break and the set was all but over.\nAlthough Shelton worked hard to force a fourth set, it did not take long for Zverev to close out a victory that appeared inevitable from the first game.\nThis match was a fitting ending to a dreary grand slam season on the ATP tour that has been dictated by the injuries and physical issues suffered by Carlos Alcaraz, who returned from a long injury layoff at this tournament, and Jannik Sinner. Their challenges presented so many players at the top of the sport with golden opportunities to step up and compete for major titles, but so few of them over the past five months even managed to put themselves in real contention. Zverev has been rewarded for his consistency and ability to continue to put himself in positive positions deep in the majors. Each victory has clearly strengthened him mentally.\nFor plenty of tennis fans and viewers around the world, however, no amount of on-court success can erase the discomfort that comes with seeing Zverev succeed. He has been accused by two of his former girlfriends, Olya Sharypova and Brenda Patea, of physical abuse. In June 2024, during his run to the French Open final, Zverev settled an assault case against him in Germany for allegedly pushing and strangling Patea, his ex-girlfriend and the mother of their daughter. The case was declared no verdict, with a court spokesperson stating: “The truth remains open.” Zverev denied those charges and he has denied all allegations against him.\nAt the Australian Open last year, Zverev was heckled by a fan before his trophy ceremony speech, with the fan declaring: “Australia believes Olya and Brenda.” Zverev’s three grand slam finals this year have progressed without issue and he remains a popular player at major tournaments.\nFor Shelton, who began his North American hard court swing attempting to recover from a painful first round loss at Wimbledon, the greatest summer of his career included a second Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open, a first grand slam final and a new career high ranking of No 4.\nHis success is testament to his continued improvement and at 23 years old there is much more to come. However, some of those deficiencies, particularly his ground game and return of serve, can still be exposed by the elite, as it was during his lonely Sunday afternoon inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.",{"_281":239,"_282":343,"_283":344},"baf1eb32-4da2-44db-b9d3-ac7de8523f79",{"_27":343,"_40":345,"_286":346,"_42":347,"_251":348,"_289":-5,"_29":290,"_291":349,"_293":350,"_244":327,"_80":-5,"_82":120,"_238":351,"_281":239,"_316":364},"Alexander Zverev Wins U.S. Open, Beating Ben Shelton to Secure Second Major Title","Alexander Zverev won his second Grand Slam title by defeating Ben Shelton in the U.S. Open men's singles final. Zverev, the No. 1 seed, capitalized on Shelton's early nerves and maintained his dominance throughout the match. This victory follows his breakthrough win at the French Open earlier in the year.","Updated on: September 13, 2026 / 7:13 PM EDT / CBS/AP","https://assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2026/09/13/88876658-749c-42c3-b3c5-f910e8e54caf/thumbnail/1200x630/7f74553006d67bfc0c64f2df5aaf67c3/gettyimages-2294674902.jpg","2026-09-13T21:52:00","https://www.cbsnews.com/news/alexander-zverev-wins-u-s-open-ben-shelton/",{"_27":352,"_297":353,"_137":299,"_80":354,"_311":361,"_312":362,"_314":363},"1904ec97ab088c7a167aa87aefedfd59fdde5f69c09779d1c7e715eb521c27d8","cea0dc3a2d03f36c3559278688a704c73a06ada27852453315d3470b20cb261eb1a94f5bbbff54dd5ef8058e57956acd7989d4838a5e16d98a2b0be363398628",[355,356,357,359,360],[244,345],[44,348],[304,358,39,306],"30023:6759f7a309cd07f7abfe0c57ab4e0ff30ffcd68d9c744d403f22e2428df23738:baf1eb32-4da2-44db-b9d3-ac7de8523f79",[308,39],[140,361,39],"6759f7a309cd07f7abfe0c57ab4e0ff30ffcd68d9c744d403f22e2428df23738","Alexander Zverev Wins U.S. Open, Beating Ben Shelton to Secure Second Major Title\nUpdated on: September 13, 2026 / 7:13 PM EDT / CBS/AP\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzqe6e773snng8774lurzh4d8qluc0lntgm8r5f4qr7ghzg2xlydecqqjxyctxx9jkyvej956xgcfj956rgerz943rjepn94skxdmyv5ur2v3nvcmnjwutwas ",1789367937,"Alexander Zverev dispatched Ben Shelton in four sets to win the U.S. Open men's singles title on Sunday, the second Grand Slam win for the German after he finally broke through at the French Open earlier this year.\n\nThe No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, Zverev capitalized on Shelton's shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on serve and then turned back Shelton's comeback attempt to win 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 in front of a crowd that desperately cheered the American on.\n\nAfter taking down his fellow countryman Francis Tiafoe in a thrilling semifinal, Shelton was aiming to become the first American man to win a major since Andy Roddick's U.S. Open victory in 2003. Shelton was also the first Black American man to make it to a U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.\n\n\"You're one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,\" Shelton told Zverev during the trophy ceremony.\n\nBut Zverev was too good in majors this year and apparently didn't even know how good he was. He finished the match on his serve but didn't seem to realize it, dropping back behind the baseline as if set to return. Only a few moments later did he figure out he had won, raising his arms in celebration.\n\nAlexander Zverev celebrates after winning the U.S. Open men's singles championship match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, on Sunday, September 13, 2026,\n\n\"I know today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win, so I'm very sorry, first of all,\" Zverev said during the trophy presentation. \"But second, it was an incredible atmosphere to play in. Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair.\"\n\nZverev improved to 25-2 in major matches this year and won $5.5 million on Sunday, matching the prize earned by women's champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history.\n\nHe thought this title would come in 2020 and still acknowledges it should have. He won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem and got within two points of victory before becoming the first man to blow a two-set lead and lose in the final since 1949.\n\nWhatever ghosts were left from then are long gone now.\n\nZverev also reached the final at Wimbledon, falling to Jannik Sinner, and became the No. 1 seed in New York when the top-ranked Sinner had to withdraw with a knee injury.\n\n\"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, addressing his team.\n\nShelton had already eliminated the defending champion when he beat Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history.\n\nBut he fell short on Sunday in his attempt to become the first man to beat the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds en route to the U.S. Open title since 1975.\n\nThe No. 8 seed fell to 0-6 against Zverev, winning a set Sunday for only the second time.\n\nThe 23-year-old Shelton figures to get more chances, but Americans who have grown tired of waiting to celebrate a men's title wanted it now.\n\nFans stood and screamed when Shelton emerged from the tunnel before the match, but he didn't give them any reason to keep the cheers going once play began. Serving first, he lost the opening two points and then eventually handed the game to Zverev with a double fault.\n\nZverev maintained that lead the rest of the set, which ended on another double-fault by Shelton.\n\nZverev's deliberate playing style helped limit the crowd's effectiveness. Fans are expected to quiet down as a player is preparing to serve and stay quiet until the ensuing point has been completed.\n\nZverev bounces the ball a number of times — sometimes around 10, maybe a dozen, others nearly 20, insisting there is no set pattern or plan — before he begins his toss, so it guarantees lengthy stretches of silence.\n\nFans tried to get around that by occasionally cheering when he missed a first serve — another tennis no-no that the chair umpire scolded them for — but Zverev, who said before the match he enjoyed hostile crowds, did not seem affected.\n\nZverev then turned back Shelton's chance to even the match in the tiebreaker.\n\nShelton returned Zverev's opening serve long, was beaten by a superb passing shot and then came up on the wrong end of a 16-shot rally as Zverev went up 3-0. Zverev then hit serves of 147 mph and 124 mph that Shelton couldn't get back in play. Shelton cut it to 5-2 and then got a return in play for the only time, but Zverev won the point and then hit another serve at 139 mph to close it out.",{"_281":239,"_282":366,"_283":367},"e338d589-281a-4152-bce4-81fd883b0fd6",{"_27":366,"_40":368,"_286":369,"_42":370,"_251":371,"_289":371,"_29":290,"_291":372,"_293":373,"_244":39,"_80":-5,"_82":121,"_238":374,"_281":239,"_316":-5},"Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton for U.S. Open title, extending drought by American men","Alexander Zverev is experiencing his most successful year in tennis to date. This success coincides with the ongoing extended Grand Slam drought for American men. The text highlights Zverev's strong performance against the backdrop of this particular challenge for American tennis.","Alexander Zverev's best year in tennis goes on, and so does that lengthy Grand Slam drought for American men.","https://twt-thumbs.washtimes.com/media/image/2026/09/13/US_Open_Tennis_43413_s1440x960.jpg?f72536d07237fdd262042ae8f5e6e6de3b865f3c","2026-09-13T22:24:55","https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/sep/13/alexander-zverev-beats-ben-shelton-us-open-title-extending-drought/",{"_27":375,"_297":376,"_137":299,"_80":377,"_311":384,"_312":385,"_314":386},"0b67fd1b3b3a3ec3f0902e64364a57369df597e4e53f22ef5b3d58f4966a41aa","815a026147a8baf1df2a3235fc7b824a7826d94f376ac03405caf9d9b687e7a34631ccc800ddb2b67a4929ec0f1ae8b5a8f2a929fda8e4128a958ecf99afac06",[378,379,380,382,383],[244,368],[44,371],[304,381,39,306],"30023:df280c155aaf9ef6d87135ea08453842ba3911d3054bbb9dc8321dcc530e9569:e338d589-281a-4152-bce4-81fd883b0fd6",[308,39],[140,384,39],"df280c155aaf9ef6d87135ea08453842ba3911d3054bbb9dc8321dcc530e9569","Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton for U.S. Open title, extending drought by American men\nAlexander Zverev's best year in tennis goes on, and so does that lengthy Grand Slam drought for American men.\n\n\nnostr:naddr1qvzqqqr4gupzphegps244tu77mv8zd02ppznss468ygaxp2thwwusvsae3fsa9tfqqjx2ven8pjr2wpe95ersvtp956rzdfj943xxef595urzeny8qurxc3svejrvxl55ky ",1789338295,[],"selectedArticleImage","rootArticleImageUrl","consensusHtml","tweets",[],"userSchema","perspectivesColumns","intro","relatedArticles",[284,320,367,344],"actionData","errors"]

Alexander Zverev Wins U.S. Open Men’s Final Over Ben Shelton

Story coverage