At this year’s final Grand Slam tournament, the US Open, Germany’s Alexander Zverev became the champion in the men’s singles category.
In the final, he defeated the young American player Ben Shelton in sets of 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2. The match ended in 3 hours and 33 minutes.
Zverev, who won his first Grand Slam title this year at the French Open, has now increased that tally to two with the US Open.
In this match, Zverev moved ahead by winning the first two sets, but the never-give-up Shelton, backed by tremendous support from the home crowd, fought back and took the third set.
However, Zverev, who has been playing brilliantly in major tournaments of late, broke Shelton’s confidence, took the fourth set for himself, and emerged victorious.
Shelton, who reached his first Grand Slam final, has moved up to fourth in the world rankings for the first time, even though he did not win the title.
This was the sixth meeting between Zverev and Shelton, and Zverev has dominated by winning all of them.
Zverev, who exited with a semifinal finish at this year’s Australian Open, went on to become champion at the French Open and lost in the final at Wimbledon. He has now begun his title account at the US Open.
Although he has not won any titles other than the Grand Slam this season, Zverev has kept himself in the race to qualify for the year-end ATP Finals.
He is also closing in on Italy’s Jannik Sinner in the battle to reach the world No. 1 spot.
In a dazed moment: Even after winning championship point in the final stage of the final set, Zverev, who had not realized it, came to his baseline and stood ready to receive Shelton’s serve. As the spectators around him rose to their feet and began applauding, Zverev’s team members also let him know that the match was over and that he had won. Only then did Zverev shift into a winner’s mindset and express his joy.
Speaking about this, he said, “When I was in the final stages of the match, I completely forgot myself and became immersed in it. I felt as if I were inside a cave where no sound from the outside world could be heard. Because of the crowd’s noise, I could not even hear the points announced by the umpire. At the moment of victory, I was about to continue playing, thinking I was still at 5-1.”
However, this trance-like play can be said to have protected Zverev from a tense situation. In the 2020 US Open final, Zverev, who faced Dominic Thiem, needed to win just two points to claim the title. But due to last-minute nerves, he lost the victory there.
In the Open Era (since 1968), Zverev became the 4th player to win his first two Grand Slam titles in the same season. Jimmy Connors (1974 - Australian Open, Wimbledon), Guillermo Vilas (1977 - French Open, US Open), and Jannik Sinner (2024 - Australian Open, US Open) were the first three.
“I thank my team. With the Grand Slam having remained just out of reach, I have now won two Grand Slam titles within a span of three months. I think God has seen how hard we worked and how much pain we endured. This 2026 has come as the answer to all of that. This is Shelton’s first Grand Slam final. He will play in many more finals and become a champion too” - Zverev
Zverev’s path to victory...
First round Lorenzo Sonego (Italy) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7/9), 7-5, 6-4
Second round Quentin Halys (France) 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-7 (3/7), 6-3
3rd round Alexander Zverev (Chile) 6-2, 7-6 (7/2), 6-2
4th round Luciano Darderi (Italy) 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/3)
Quarterfinals Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) 6-2, 7-5, 6-1
Semifinals Karen Khachanov (Russia) 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6)
Final Ben Shelton (United States) 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2
₹52 crore cash prize
Champion Zverev received the winner’s trophy along with a cash prize of ₹52 crore and 2,000 ranking points. Shelton was awarded ₹26 crore and 1,300 ranking points.
Top 10 rankings without the ‘Big 3’ for the first time in 24 years
With the US Open concluded and the world rankings updated, in the ATP rankings, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, has dropped out of the top 10 and slipped to 12th place. He suffered a shock first-round defeat at the US Open and lost 7 places.
For the first time in 24 years, none of tennis’s so-called “Big 3” — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — are in the top 10 rankings. Federer was last in the top 10 in 2016, and Nadal in 2023. Djokovic was in it until Sunday.
With Federer retiring in 2022 at age 41 and Nadal in 2024 at age 38, only the 39-year-old Djokovic is still playing now. Djokovic, who is pursuing a 25th Grand Slam title, has also been struggling of late, so it appears he may soon consider retirement.
Rankings... (Top 10)
ATP
Position Player Points
1 Jannik Sinner (Italy) 11,500
2 Alexander Zverev (Germany) 9,690
3 Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) 5,560
4 Ben Shelton (United States) +5 4,680
5 Felix Auger-Aliassime (Canada) -1 3,890
6 Daniil Medvedev (Russia) +2 3,770
7 Flavio Cobolli (Italy) -1 3,720
8 Frances Tiafoe (USA) +4 3,380
9 Alex de Minaur (Australia) -2 3,300
10 Taylor Fritz (USA) 3,175
WTA
Rank Player Points
1 Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) +1 9,901
2 Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus) -1 7,875
3 Jessica Pegula (USA) 7,265
4 Coco Gauff (USA) 7,244
5 Mirra Andreeva (Russia) 5,743
6 Linda Noskova (Czech Republic) 5,328
7 Elina Svitolina (Ukraine) +2 4,809
8 Karolina Muchova (Czech Republic) -1 4,683
9 Iga Swiatek (Poland) -1 4,619
10 Marta Kostyuk (Ukraine) +1 3,980