Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton to claim first US Open title

Germany's top-ranked Alexander Zverev captured his first US Open title on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium, defeating American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 in the men's final. It marks the second Grand Slam trophy of Zverev's career.

The win offers a measure of redemption for Zverev, who six years ago let a two-set lead slip away against Dominic Thiem in the 2020 US Open final, becoming the first man since 1949 to lose a major final after leading two sets to none.

This time, Zverev took advantage of a shaky start from Shelton, played a near-flawless tiebreaker in the second set, and fended off a fourth-set comeback attempt from the American. The match unfolded before a crowd overwhelmingly cheering for Shelton, who was chasing the first US men's Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003. Shelton's girlfriend, soccer player Trinity Rodman, arrived at the stadium after her own match in Washington to watch the finish.

Zverev said afterward he was so locked into the match that he didn't hear the chair umpire announce it had ended, briefly remaining ready to play on before realizing he had won. He thanked the crowd for being fair despite overwhelmingly supporting his opponent.

The title extends an outstanding season for Zverev, who improved to 25-2 in Grand Slam matches this year. He earned $5.5 million for the win, matching women's champion Elena Rybakina's prize from Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history. Zverev also reached the Wimbledon final this year, losing to Jannik Sinner, and became the US Open's top seed after Sinner withdrew with a knee injury.

For Shelton, it was his first Grand Slam final appearance. He had already eliminated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that finished at the latest hour in US Open history. Sunday's loss dropped Shelton to 0-6 in his career against Zverev.