Alexander Zverev held off Ben Shelton to win the US Open on Sunday, capturing the second Grand Slam of his career just months after winning the French Open.
The top-seeded German ruthlessly snuffed out a late surge by Shelton to triumph 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2, crushing the eighth seed's hopes of becoming the first US man in 23 years to win a Grand Slam title.
Zverev expunged the bitter memory of his 2020 US Open defeat, when he was two points from victory before falling to Dominic Thiem in five sets.
It would be six years -- with two major finals disappointments -- before he would break through this season.
"I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before," AFP quoted Zverev as saying at the trophy presentation.
The 23-year-old Shelton was one month shy of his first birthday when Andy Roddick hoisted the 2003 US Open trophy in the last major triumph for a US man.
Hopes were high that Shelton could end the drought after his epic five-set quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and a come-from-behind win over compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.
But Zverev's all-court excellence proved too much for Shelton, despite the support of a star-studded Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd trying to will the American to victory.
With their backing, Shelton surged in the third set, eliminating the errors that Zverev had ruthlessly exploited.
Serving to extend the set, Zverev fell behind 0-40. Shelton fired long on his first set point but on the second Zverev's forehand volley went wide. Shelton had his first break of the match and they were headed to a fourth set.
Zverev, however, responded immediately and decisively, breaking Shelton in the first game of the fourth set and rolling home.
He lifted his arms in triumph after Shelton fired a serve return long on match point and finally received his own huge cheer from the crowd -- but not before some prompting.
Zverev said he didn't initially realize he'd won because he had lost track of the score.
"I knew I broke him twice, but I thought it was 5-1 instead of 6-2, which helped me in a way, because I didn't really get nervous serving out the match," Zverev said.
"In that moment I was in the zone a lot. I didn't hear noise at all. Then also, of course, when the crowd is loud, it's impossible to hear the umpire, so I didn't hear that she said, 'Game, set, match.'"
Zverev had followed up his French Open victory with a runner-up finish at Wimbledon.
But his New York prospects had looked bleak as he labored through two five-setters to start the tournament.
Now the 29-year-old ranked second in the world has a chance to challenge for the number one ranking with Italian Jannik Sinner currently sidelined by a knee injury.
With this win, Zverev said he might consider himself the best player in the world "right, right now."
"If everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead."
Shelton had entered to a massive ovation but from the start the sharpness that carried him past Alcaraz and Tiafoe was lacking.
Zverev, with utter calm and a superb serve, quickly asserted his authority with a break in the first game, Shelton double faulting on break point.
Eight games later the American double faulted on set point.
Shelton rallied from 0-30 down to force the second-set tiebreaker, but was helpless as Zverev roared to a 5-0 lead and took a two-sets-to-none lead with a service winner.
Shelton gave it all he had in the third, hitting the deck as he chased one blistering Zverev forehand. Although he capitalized on uncharacteristic errors from the German to extend the match there was no stopping Zverev in the final set.
"I made too many errors when I had the ball there on my strings," Shelton said. "I wasn't amazing attacking on my forehand today. I wasn't great in transition.
"It's not easy," he added. "Playing a guy like him there's very few chances."
