Alexander Zverev wins US Open without realising it

Alexander Zverev claimed his second grand slam title of 2026 by defeating American Ben Shelton in the US Open final. The German player secured a 6-3, 7-6(7/2), 5-7, 6-2 victory over his opponent in three hours and 33 minutes. Zverev, who previously won his first major title at the French Open, did not initially realize he had won the match.

After hitting an unreturnable serve during the eighth game of the fourth set, he turned to prepare for his next shot and only realized his triumph when he looked up at the big screen. The 29-year-old expressed surprise with a smile, quickly rushing to the net to congratulate Shelton and the crowd began to celebrate. Zverev said, "We went 30 years without winning a grand slam title and now we've won two in the span of three months."

He mentioned that he had bet all his money that Shelton would eventually win a grand slam title, but it was not to be on this occasion. Both players had strong family connections in their coaches' box, with Shelton coached by father Bryan, and his mother and sister supporting him in the stands. Zverev expressed his joy at seeing Shelton's supporters, mentioning US football star Trinity Rodman, Shelton's girlfriend, who had traveled from Washington Spirit's loss in DC to witness the conclusion of the match.

When asked about her influence, Rodman replied, "Clearly not." Zverev also took the time to thank former Australian Open director Craig Tiley, who had recently moved to New York as the United States Tennis Association boss. He praised Tiley's efforts to elevate the Australian Open to the status of the world's premier tournament and jokingly suggested that Tiley consider a short return to Australia before resuming his role in New York.