Alexander Zverev finally got his moment in New York.

The German top seed defeated home favourite Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open men’s singles final on Sunday to win his first title at Flushing Meadows and the second Grand Slam of his career.

The victory also completed a remarkable year for Zverev. After winning the French Open earlier in the season, he has now added the US Open to his Grand Slam collection. The German has turned 2026 into the breakthrough season many expected from him after years of coming close at the biggest tournaments.

New York had been the site of one of the most painful defeats of his career. Zverev led Dominic Thiem by two sets in the 2020 US Open final before losing in five. Six years later, he returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium and made sure the story ended differently.

Shelton made him work for it.

The American started the final with the backing of a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, but Zverev quickly settled into the contest. His serve and powerful baseline game allowed him to control long exchanges, while Shelton struggled to find the same rhythm that had carried him through the earlier rounds.

Zverev took the opening set 6-3 and then edged a tense second-set tiebreak 7-2. Suddenly, the German was one set away from the trophy.

Shelton refused to let the final slip away without a fight.

The 23-year-old American found another level in the third set. He finally broke Zverev’s serve after the two had held repeatedly, then kept his nerve to take the set 7-5. The home crowd sensed a comeback and turned up the volume inside the stadium.

The momentum, however, did not last.

Zverev opened the fourth set strongly and immediately put Shelton under pressure. He broke early, regained control of the rallies and never allowed the American to build another comeback. Another break put the German firmly in command before he closed out the match 6-2.

The final lasted three hours and 37 minutes. Zverev finished with nine aces and 35 winners, while winning 85% of points behind his first serve.

There was even a light-hearted moment at the finish. Zverev was so focused during the final that he did not immediately realise the match had ended. He had not heard the chair umpire announce the final point and looked towards his box before understanding that he was the US Open champion.

“I was in the zone,” Zverev later said, describing how completely he had shut out the noise around him.

The victory also kept alive one of the longest-running droughts in men’s tennis. Shelton had been trying to become the first American man since Andy Roddick in 2003 to win a Grand Slam singles title. That wait will now continue.

Shelton’s run was nevertheless one of the biggest stories of the tournament. He reached his first Grand Slam final after beating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals and producing a major upset against Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

His run also carried historical significance. Shelton became the first Black American man to reach the US Open men’s singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. The young American now leaves New York without the trophy but with a major statement about his place among the next generation of men’s tennis.

Zverev, meanwhile, has finally moved beyond the label of a player who could not win the biggest matches. His second Grand Slam title of 2026 comes after years of near misses, including his defeat in the 2020 US Open final and several other deep runs at the majors.

The German’s achievement is even more striking given how competitive men’s tennis has become. With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominating much of the recent Grand Slam conversation, Zverev has now claimed two of the year’s four majors.

His victory also extends his strong season and strengthens his position among the leading players in the world. More importantly, it gives him another major trophy at a venue that once represented one of the toughest disappointments of his career.

Shelton had hoped to give the home crowd a night to remember. Instead, Zverev produced the performance he had been waiting years to deliver.