Zverev wins his first US Open and leaves Shelton waiting

Six years can feel like a very long time when a trophy once slipped away from you. For Alexander Zverev, Sunday in New York finally brought a different ending.

The German defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final, played on Sunday in New York and early Monday in India. The official tournament report confirms his first title at the event and his second Grand Slam trophy, both won this year.

Shelton made him finish the job

Zverev won the first two sets, including a second-set tiebreak in which he took the opening five points. Shelton then claimed the third, giving the home crowd a reason to believe the match might turn.

The response came quickly. Zverev broke serve at the start of the fourth set and kept control. According to the tournament report, he lost only four points on his own serve throughout that final set.

For a casual viewer, that last detail explains plenty. Winning games on your own serve forces the opponent to keep chasing. If the leader refuses to offer many openings, even a loud crowd cannot create one out of thin air.

The third set also stopped this from being a simple procession. Shelton earned another chance, and Zverev had to deal with it. A lead is useful. Protecting it after the other player pushes back is the harder part.

A painful memory gets some company

Reuters recalled Zverev’s 2020 final against Dominic Thiem, when he lost after leading by two sets. This time, he arrived having already broken through at Roland Garros in June.

That earlier French Open victory and the New York title give his season a very different shape. Years spent trying to win a first major have been followed by two in a few months.

For Shelton, the wait continues. AP noted that the result extends the drought for American men at Grand Slams. Andy Roddick’s 2003 US Open remains their most recent singles title at one of the four majors.

Reaching a first final still gives Shelton something substantial to build on. The trophy is the most visible measure, but getting to the last match also means surviving the pressure and changing challenges of a long tournament.

It would be too easy to turn one result into a prediction about every match ahead. Tennis does not offer that kind of certainty. What this final does establish is clear enough: Zverev handled the last set, won the title and added New York to a season that already included Paris.