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Alexander Zverev secured his first U.S. Open men's singles title on Sunday, beating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium to pick up the second Grand Slam trophy of his career.
The top-seeded German took charge of the opening two sets before Shelton fought back in the third, keeping alive his hopes of completing a comeback in his first Grand Slam final.
Zverev, however, quickly regained control in the fourth set. After breaking Shelton early, he broke again to move 5-2 ahead before serving out the match and sealing his first title in New York.
The victory completed a French Open-U.S. Open double for the 29-year-old after he claimed his first Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in June.
Zverev also reached the Wimbledon final in July, meaning the U.S. Open marked his third consecutive appearance in a Grand Slam final.
His triumph also brought closure to a difficult chapter in New York. Zverev had reached the U.S. Open final in 2020 but let a two-set lead slip away against Dominic Thiem. Six years later, he returned to the final and finished the job.
Shelton, 23, was bidding to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick lifted the U.S. Open trophy in 2003.
The eighth seed had reached the final by beating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals, becoming the first Black American man to make the U.S. Open men's singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Zverev's victory also extended his unbeaten record against Shelton to 6-0, with the German having won all five of their previous meetings before Sunday's final.
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