Alexander Zverev Claims Second Major Title With US Open Victory Over Ben Shelton

Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday to win the US Open and secure his second Grand Slam championship of 2026.

Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday to win the US Open men's singles title. The victory marks Zverev’s second major championship of the year following his win at the French Open. By securing the title, Zverev prevented Shelton from becoming the first American man to win a Grand Slam since 2003. The No. 1 seed finished the 2026 major season with a 25-2 record and earned $5.5 million in prize money.

Zverev established an early lead by breaking Shelton’s opening service game after the American committed a double-fault. During the second-set tiebreaker, Zverev recorded serves of 147 mph, 139 mph, and 124 mph to win the frame 7-2. Although Shelton broke Zverev for the only time in the match to take the third set 7-5, Zverev responded by breaking Shelton to open the fourth set and eventually closed out the match.

With this win, Zverev became the fourth man in the Open era to earn his first two major titles in the same calendar year, joining Jimmy Connors, Guillermo Vilas, and Jannik Sinner. Shelton, the No. 8 seed, fell to 0-6 in his career head-to-head against Zverev despite hitting a five-set quarterfinal victory over Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the tournament. Zverev ascended to the top seed in New York after Sinner withdrew due to a knee injury.