Alexander Zverev captured the 2026 US Open men's singles title on Sunday, defeating American eighth seed Ben Shelton in the final at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The victory marked Zverev's second Grand Slam title of the year and his first at the US Open. The 29-year-old German, the tournament's top seed and world No. 2, earlier won the French Open in June.

Shelton, in his first major final, fell short in his bid to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam title since Andy Roddick in 2003. The New York crowd cheered loudly for the home hope throughout the three-hour, 33-minute match.

Zverev took control early, breaking serve in the opening game and claiming the first set 6-3. He followed with a dominant tiebreak in the second set to lead two sets to love. Shelton fought back to take the third set 7-5, but Zverev regained momentum in the fourth, breaking early and closing out the match with an unreturned serve.

In his on-court remarks, Zverev credited his team and family for the breakthrough year. "We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam and now we won two in the span of three months," he said. "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."

Zverev earned $5.5 million in prize money for the win, boosting his 2026 on-court earnings significantly. The result extends his strong season and positions him well in the race for year-end honors.

The match highlighted Zverev's improved mental toughness, as he avoided repeating the collapse from a two-set lead that cost him the 2020 US Open final. Shelton showed resilience but could not overcome Zverev's consistent serving and baseline play under pressure.