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 (2), 5-7, 6-2.
After the match, Zverev accepted the Tiffany & Co. trophy from American tennis great Jimmy Connors and $5.5 million in prize money. He thanked his mother for getting him through a diabetes diagnosis at age 4 and letting him know he could prevail.
“If he wants to be a tennis player, he’ll be a tennis player,” Zverev said, quoting her. “My mother is the most important and strongest person I know.”
Shelton thanked God and said the experience was positive regardless of the outcome.
“My successes are a gift, the failures are a gift, and being here playing in front of you guys is a gift,” he said.
Girlfriend Trinity Rodman was in the stands wearing a Shelton shirt. Rodman, a professional soccer player for the Washington Spirit, started in her team’s 3-0 loss to the Boston Legacy at home Sunday but managed to also support Shelton in New York.
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 Zverev, growing more confident in his returns and catching him off guard with well-timed forehands. He pushed Zverev to a tiebreaker in the second set but ultimately fell short, entering the third set well behind.
Shelton dug deep to push Zverev in the third set, rattling him as he 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 Shelton, 23, but Zverev, 29, is well acquainted with the pressure of a major final. He had played in five Grand Slam finals before Sunday’s match.
Zverev came into the tournament in Queens with momentum from winning the French Open in June. He 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 minutes for a place in the semifinals. It was a grueling match that started late Tuesday and ended at 3:33 a.m. Wednesday.
Shelton pushed Alcaraz to the limit as Alcaraz competed in his first major since having injured his wrist. Alcaraz appeared to vomit into a towel at one point.
Shelton then defeated fellow American Frances Tiafoe on Friday night, dominating in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 victory.
In the final, Shelton had a shot at becoming the first American man to win the U.S. Open since Andy Roddick in 2003, defeating Spain’s Juan Carlos Ferrero.
Fans in the stadium were raucous in their support for him. Some told NBC News that they had traveled from near and far.
Many were 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 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 Shameka Littles, of Maryland, said she could not imagine how it felt 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,” she said. “Hopefully, it just kind of gives, you know, a big boost of energy and excitement for each other.”
