Zverev dashes American hopes, beats Shelton in US Open final for 2nd major

NEW YORK -- Alexander Zverev won his second major championship and kept American men without a Grand Slam title since 2003, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the US Open final. Zverev finally broke through in the majors by winning this year's French Open and followed up by finally adding the title in New York that he so painfully let slip away in 2020. He became the fourth man in the Open era to win his first two major titles in the same year, joining Jimmy Connors (1974), Guillermo Vilas (1977) and Jannik Sinner (2024). The No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, he capitalized on Shelton's shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on serve and then turned back Shelton's comeback attempt in front of a crowd that desperately cheered him on. Shelton was trying to win the first title by an American man since Andy Roddick won in Flushing Meadows in 2003, as well as the first by a Black man since Arthur Ashe in 1968. But Zverev was too good in majors this year and apparently didn't even know how good he was. He finished the match on his serve but didn't seem to realize it, dropping back behind the baseline as if set to return. Only a few moments later did he figure out he had won, raising his arms in celebration. ESPN Research and The Associated Press contributed to this report.