German starAlexander 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.
Shelton, on the other hand, fought two-time U.S. Open champion Carlos Alcaraz for 4 hours and 28 minute for a place in the semifinals. It was a grueling match that started late Tuesday night and ended at 3:33 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
The young American pushed Alcaraz to the limit as the Spanish star competed in his first major since injuring his wrist. Alacraz appearing to vomit into a towel at one point during the match.
Shelton then defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe on Friday night, dominating in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
Fans inside the stadium were raucous in their support for Shelton. Some told NBC News that they had traveled from near and far in the hopes to see Shelton make history.
Manywere hoping that Shelton could become the second Black man to win the U.S. Open. The only other player to have accomplished that was Arthur Ashe, the namesake of the court on which Sunday’s final was played, in 1968.
Tracie Saundera told NBC News before the match that she was excited to see a Black man in the final, especially considering the last time it happened, in 1972, was before she was born. Shelton is also simply an exciting player to watch, she added.
“He just plays with so much passion and energy,” Saundera said. “He’s so fun to watch play, and he’s young and enthusiastic… I’m old. Most of my players are retiring, so it’s good to see some of the young kids coming in and just being powerhouses.”
University of Florida fan Junior Pulayya drove from Florida to New York to support Shelton, an alumnus of the school. He noted that there had been a drought of “really solid” American men’s players until now.
“But this is, just, it gets that new generation of kids that follow tennis, that that get involved in tennis, that want to get involved in tennis,” Pulayya said. “It does so much just for today, but long term for the sport.”
Longtime tennis fan and Maryland resident Shameka Littles said she could not imagine how it feels for Shelton to play on the Arthur Ashe court as the first Black man to make the U.S. Open final in more than 50 years. But beyond that, Littles said, it was “inspiring” to see so many Americans do well this year.
“To have so many of the top seeds, you know, make it to the semifinals, the quarterfinals — that was exciting in and of itself,” Littles said. “Hopefully, it just kind of gives you know a big boost of energy and excitement for each other.”
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