German star Alexander Zverev overtook Ben Shelton to win the U.S.Open on Sunday, securing his second Grand Slam title and evaporating dreams of an American man winning the title for the first time in more than 20 years.
The score was 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2.Andy Roddick was the last American man to win at the U.S.Open, defeating Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003.
It was a thrilling final in Arthur Ashe Stadium between two men with powerful serves and something to prove on one of tennis’ biggest stages.Shelton lagged early in the first set, struggling to make headway against Zverev’s methodical approach.
But Shelton began gaining ground against the more experienced player, growing more confident in his returns and catching Zverev off guard with well-timed forehands.He pushed Zverev to a tiebreak in the second set but ultimately fell short, entering the third set well behind his opponent.
The American dug deep to push Zverev in the third set, rattling the German as Shelton crawled out from the two-set deficit he found himself in.In the fourth and final set, Zverev was hit with a time violation, and he protested it to no avail.
The moment did not derail him, and he went up 3-1 and stayed ahead, breaking Shelton’s serve to make it 5-2 before cruising to victory on-serve.It was the first appearance in a Grand Slam final for 23-year-old Ben Shelton, but Zverev well acquainted with the pressure of a major final.The 29-year-old has played in five Grand Slam finals before Sunday’s match.
Zverev came into the tournament in Queens, New York, with momentum from winning the French Open in June.The German player endured two difficult matches to open the tournament but did not drop a set on his way to the final after the second round.Zverev came into the tournament with momentum from winning the French Open in June.
Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty ImagesShelton, on the other hand, fought two-time U.S.Open champion Carlos Alcaraz for 4 hours and 28 minute for a place in...