September 14, 2026
Alexander Zverev knew he was in the way of history at the 2026 US Open men's final. He didn't look too bothered.
Facing No. 8 seed Ben Shelton and an Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd rooting against him, Zverev navigated every challenge until he was celebrating a 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 win. The wait will go on for the first American male Grand Slam title since 2003.
It is the second Grand Slam title of Zverev's career, which looked like it would be defined by a lack of such titles entering 2026. Zverev's place in history seemed clear at that point, a great player who could never get through historical greats like Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner when it mattered most.
We're not sure that's changed much. Zverev wound up going 25-2 in Grand Slams this year, winning Roland-Garros and the US Open. His two losses: Alcaraz in the Australian Open semifinals, Sinner in the Wimbledon final.
Zverev has methodically handled all other players. In retrospect, his two biggest challenges were his first two matches of the tournament against Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys, when he became the first No. 1 seed at a major to get taken to a fifth set in both the first and second round.
Zverev didn't drop a set after those two matches until the final, as the field opened up for him like it did at Roland-Garros. In Shelton, he got an opponent he had little trouble against in the past, with a 5-0 head-to-head record.
