Six years after letting a two-set lead slip away in the 2020 US Open final, Alexander Zverev returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium to complete the story. On Sunday, the German defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in three hours and 33 minutes, claiming his first title at Flushing Meadows and the second Grand Slam of his career.
The match began with a solid Zverev and a Shelton gripped by pressure. The American, playing in his first major final, dropped his opening service game with a double fault and repeated the error at the end of the first set, handing the set to the German with a second break. Zverev, winning over 90% of points on his first serve, imposed a measured, controlled pace that frustrated the home favorite.
The second set followed the same script. With no breaks of serve, the set was decided in a tie-break, where Zverev surged to a 5-0 lead with two mini-breaks and won the tie-break 7-2. It seemed the match was heading toward a quick conclusion.
However, Shelton mounted a comeback in the third set. For the first time, he put pressure on the German's serve and, with the score at 5-5 and a 0-40 lead, held three set points. Zverev saved one break point but not the second, and the American took the set 7-5, sparking hope in the stands.
Zverev’s response was immediate and emphatic. He broke Shelton’s serve in the opening game of the fourth set and broke again in the seventh to take a 5-2 lead. Serving for the match, he clinched the victory after his opponent hit a return long. There was a curious detail to the moment: it took Zverev several seconds to realize that the point had ended the match and that he had just been crowned champion.
With this title, Zverev becomes the second German to win the US Open, following Boris Becker in 1989. He also becomes the player born in the 1990s with the most Grand Slam titles—a generation that had been overshadowed by the "Big Three" and the rise of Alcaraz and Sinner. His victory also extends the American drought: no man from that country has won a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Alexander Zverev had to wait six years to win the fourth and final major tournament of the international tennis circuit and to smile on one of the most celebrated courts in the sport. Shelton, for his part, leaves New York as the new world number 4—the highest ranking of his career.
Another significant achievement for the German was winning his second major of the season and becoming the best tennis player of 2027 so far.
Note: I used the DeepL translator.