Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton to win US Open

New York - Top seed Alexander Zverev silenced lingering U.S. Open memories by defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final on Sunday. This marked Zverev's sixth title after he missed a golden opportunity in the 2020 final against Dominic Thiem. The German, who has since developed a champion's mentality following his breakthrough victory at Roland Garros in June, broke the American's spirit with an impressive performance.

Despite the home crowd's desire to see Shelton end a 23-year American men's Grand Slam drought, Zverev's early firepower proved too much for the eighth seed. Shelton, lacking experience, made crucial errors, including a double fault on break point in the opening game. The partisan crowd attempted to unsettle Zverev by cheering wildly after his double fault in the sixth game of the second set.

However, Zverev remained unfazed, seizing a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak and dominating the third set. Shelton's frustration peaked when he slipped and fell, causing him to curse. Nevertheless, the American fought back with powerful groundstrokes from the baseline, breaking Zverev's serve and forcing a fourth set. Despite Shelton's resilience, Zverev ultimately prevailed in a grueling 25-shot rally, breaking through in the deciding set.

The 11th time playing in the U.S. Open saw Zverev hoist the trophy, ending a long-standing American drought in men's Grand Slam titles.