Alexander Zverev beats Ben Shelton to claim first US Open title

Alexander Zverev defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in Sunday's US Open final to win the New York title for the first time. The Associated Press reported that the German's victory secured his second Grand Slam championship, following his French Open success earlier this year, and extended American men's wait for another major singles champion.

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Zverev's serve established the platform for the result. According to BBC Sport, he won 39 of 42 points on his first serve across the opening two sets and did not face a break point until midway through the third. Shelton broke late in that set to prolong the final, but won only four of 20 receiving points in the fourth as Zverev regained control.

The result reversed the outcome of Zverev's previous US Open final six years earlier. In 2020, he lost to Dominic Thiem after leading by two sets and serving for the championship in the fifth. This time, the BBC reported, he was so focused on continuing to play that he initially returned to the baseline after match point before his team told him he had won.

Both finalists had reached Sunday's match by overcoming challenging semifinals. The US Open's official reporting recorded Zverev's 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) victory over Karen Khachanov, a straight-sets result that required two closely contested tiebreaks. That win took the 29-year-old back to the championship match in New York for the second time, with another opportunity to complete a title run.

Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final by defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on Friday night, according to the tournament's website. His comeback in that semifinal put him one victory from becoming the first American man to win a major singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. Sunday's defeat left that wait unresolved despite a breakthrough run to the final.

For Zverev, the title added to a season that included an Australian Open semifinal and a Wimbledon final, BBC Sport reported. He finished the year's majors with two titles, converting his return to the US Open final into the trophy that had eluded him in 2020.