Alexander Zverev won the U.S. Open men’s singles title on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, beating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium — a second major of the year for the German after his French Open breakthrough, and a near-miss for the first U.S. men’s Slam champion since Andy Roddick in 2003.

Zverev was the No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time after world No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury. He capitalized on Shelton’s shaky start in the American’s first major final, dominated a second-set tiebreaker, absorbed Shelton’s third-set surge, then closed in the fourth. CBS/AP reported he finished on serve and briefly failed to realize the match was over — stepping back as if to return — before raising his arms when it sunk in.

Shelton arrived as the crowd favorite after a deep New York run that included a five-set quarterfinal win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in U.S. Open history, and a thrilling semifinal over Francis Tiafoe. He was also the first Black American man in a U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. The Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd pushed hard; Zverev’s return of serve and big-match record this year were harder.

Zverev improved to 25-2 in major matches in 2026 and pocketed $5.5 million, matching women’s champion Elena Rybakina’s Saturday payday as the largest Grand Slam singles checks yet. Ghosts from the 2020 U.S. Open final — when he blew a two-set lead to Dominic Thiem — look buried: he also reached this year’s Wimbledon final before falling to Sinner.

For American men’s tennis, the drought continues. For Zverev, Flushing Meadows finally delivered the hard-court Slam that slipped away six years ago.

Sources