Alexander Zverev Is Crowned US Open Champion in New York
US Open
September 13, 2026
Alexander Zverev secured his second major of the year with a commanding performance at Flushing Meadows. Rather comically, he didn’t even know he’d won, having lost track of the score at the end.
So much for writing off the German as the best player never to win a Grand Slam. The 29-year-old has been making it look relatively easy this year.
‘We went thirteen years without winning a Grand Slam title. Now we’ve won two in three months,’ Sascha said.
The breakthrough at Roland Garros lifted all the weight off his shoulders. In New York he started off the tournament by laughing at how badly he was playing. He finished by making the world laugh with his careless counting.
Ben Shelton did temporarily wipe the smile off his face with a third-set fightback. But a titanic first game in the fourth set put the top seed right back on track with an early break.
‘You’ll be back here lifting the trophy one day, Ben. This was just your first US Open final,’ Zverev assured Shelton, despite inflicting such a painful defeat on the younger man.
Brad Pitt and Pierce Brosnan were in the crowd. Ben could have done with some of their movie cool on the biggest stage during the first two sets on Sunday night.
Alexander Zverev might find that Ben Shelton learns from the enormity of this occasion when it comes to Wimbledon 2027. The American will be a major threat in London.
Perhaps it was going to take this 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 setback in a Grand Slam final to complete Ben’s journey to battle-hardened maturity.
The 23-year-old has still had an incredible tournament – and the USA can be very proud of him. The victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarters was simply sensational.
But when we needed supreme confidence from the home hero in front of 24,000 screaming fans, we got moments of understandable doubt.
Perhaps the 0-5 head-to-head coming into the final didn’t help. Maybe he was drained of nervous energy after all that had gone before.
For whatever reason, the first set was peppered with the underdog’s mistakes at vital moments. Double faults were his undoing in his first service game – and indeed on set point itself.
The second set was no different. Every time it looked as though the American had finally gotten the favourite on the ropes, Ben came up with an edgy unforced error.
Alexander Zverev looked relatively untroubled in the difficult moments. He pinged down a 147mph serve in an emphatic breaker. He was relaxed enough to turn on the power at will.
Even after suffering that third-set slump, Sascha found fresh intensity to strike just when he himself appeared most vulnerable.
Here at Wimbledon Debenture Holders we have a theory that British tough guy Jez Green made a man of Zverev with his punishing fitness routines and inspirational influence. He needed all that grit in the fourth.
Sascha is now the real deal. And Americans must know that Shelton is almost there too, for all his tears after this crushing disappointment.
Ben said: ‘Being here playing in front of you guys is a gift. You guys drove me. I’m just getting started and I’ll be back again. Sascha, congrats. You’re one of the very best players in the world – maybe the best this year. You work harder than anyone I know and do things the right way.’
Meanwhile Britain’s Alfie Hewett beat Tokito Oda 6-0, 7-6 (7-5) to clinch his fifth US Open men’s wheelchair singles title – and avenge a thumping reverse at the hands of the same player at Wimbledon a few weeks back.
Come to Wimbledon 2027 using Wimbledon Debenture Holders – and see Ben Shelton, Alexander Zverev and Alfie Hewett in full, glorious flow.
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