Zverev holds off Shelton to win US Open title

Alexander Zverev clinched the US Open title with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2 victory over Ben Shelton in a thrilling final at Flushing Meadows on Sunday. The top-seeded German, who narrowly missed the 2020 US Open championship, won his second Grand Slam title after failing to defeat Dominic Thiem in a five-set marathon at the French Open this year.

Zverev denied Shelton, the first US man in 23 years to win a Grand Slam trophy, the opportunity to make history. The 23-year-old Shelton, who nearly turned 27 on the day, had hoped to end the drought after his epic five-set quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz and a dramatic comeback over Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals. Despite the support of a star-studded Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, Zverev's all-court prowess proved too formidable for the American.

In the pivotal fourth set, Zverev emerged victorious from a 30-30 tiebreaker with a crisp crosscourt backhand that put him up 3-1, sealing his triumph as the American missed his serve at match point.