NEW YORK -- After Ben Shelton's forehand return sailed out of bounds, Alexander Zverev went back to the baseline and appeared ready to continue with their match.
But after a few seconds his eyes drifted to the scoreboard and reality seemed to sink in: He had just won the US Open.
It had taken three hours and 33 minutes -- and six long years since his last devastating appearance in a final at Arthur Ashe Stadium -- but he had secured the 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 victory on Sunday to claim his second major title of 2026 and of his career. After he figured out what he had done, he raised his arms in triumph as he ran over to exchange a hug with Shelton.
His disbelief remained moments later as he addressed the crowd.
"We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title and now we won two in a span of three months," Zverev said during his victory speech, referring to the last major title won by a German man -- Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open. "So 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 became just the fourth man in history to win his first two Slam trophies in the same year, joining Jannik Sinner, Guillermo Vilas and Jimmy Connors. Sunday marked his 25th match win at a Slam in 2026, making him just the seventh man to win that many major matches in a calendar year.
The crowd was firmly in support of Shelton, as he looked to become the first American man to win a major title in 23 years. But Zverev, one of the most polarizing figures in tennis due to multiple domestic violence accusations, was dominant from the start. He broke the powerful-serving Shelton in the opening game of the match and, save for a brief lapse in the third set, remained firmly in control throughout. A visibly disappointed but gracious Shelton was effusive in his praise.
"You're one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year," Shelton said on court. "What you're doing is incredible, the way you're serving, the way you're moving and playing ... [I'm] sincerely happy for you guys to hold this title. It's been a long time coming here."
Zverev entered the season with a 0-3 record in Slam finals, including a heartbreaking loss in the 2020 US Open final after holding a two-set lead. Few could have predicted at the start of this year that he'd clinch two major titles by season's end. While not the fairy-tale outcome the home crowd wanted, Zverev's win and his bewildered reaction at the end somehow was a fitting conclusion for a wildly chaotic major season -- and US Open.
FOR TWENTY YEARS, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic ruled men's tennis. From Federer's first major title at Wimbledon in 2003 to Djokovic's most recent triumph at the US Open in 2023, the trio won 66 of 81 Slams. Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka combined to win six other major trophies during that time and, well, that didn't leave much room for anyone else.
Federer and Nadal have since retired and only Djokovic remains -- although he is no longer the late-tournament stalwart he once was. There were several players, including Zverev, who looked poised to eventually replace them atop the game, but in the absence, or twilight, of the last of the Big Three, it's been Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz who have emerged and ushered in a new era of dominance.
After Sinner and Alcaraz combined to win every major title in 2024 and 2025, and played each other in three major finals last year, it seemed as if the new season would be more of the same. Alcaraz did win the 2026 Australian Open, to complete the career Grand Slam, but in an unexpected twist, he defeated Djokovic, and not Sinner, in the final. And then things got even more erratic.
Alcaraz, the defending champion, withdrew from the French Open due to a wrist injury. Sinner, who was riding a 29-match win streak entering the tournament following a run of five straight Masters-1000 titles, was the runaway favorite. But he withered in the Parisian heat and was upset in the second round. Djokovic then lost in the third round.
Zverev and No. 10 seed Flavio Cobolli played in the final, with Zverev holding off the Italian in a deciding set for his first Slam title. Long considered the best player on tour to have never won one, he was understandably both relieved and elated to have done it. But he was hardly considered a favorite to win again when Alcaraz and Sinner were healthy.
Alcaraz missed Wimbledon with the same injury and Sinner claimed his second consecutive title at the All England Club with a four-set victory in the final over Zverev. The collective dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz appeared to be back on track.
But that has not been the case at the chaotic, stunning, upset-riddled men's draw at the US Open. Sinner withdrew from the tournament with a lingering knee injury and Alcaraz's status was in doubt until the event began. He ultimately returned in time to play mixed doubles with Serena Williams the week before the main draw got underway, but hadn't played a competitive singles match in nearly five months.
With Sinner's absence and the uncertainty surrounding Alcaraz, there wasn't exactly an obvious player projected to win the title. Zverev was dismissive of the idea it was him at the start of the tournament.
"I feel like I'm one of the 128 players that are favorites in the draw," Zverev said.
Some wondered if Djokovic could seize on the opportunity and finally win his record-setting 25th major title. But through vomit and cramping, he was then stunned in the first round -- on the first day of main draw play -- by Mariano Navone in five sets. It was his earliest exit at a Slam in over 20 years.
The upsets continued. Stefanos Tsitsipas played spoiler against No. 10 seed Arthur Fils, the reigning Cincinnati champion, also in the first round. Karen Khachanov defeated No. 3 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the second round, and Botic van de Zandschulp did the same against No. 6 seed Alex de Minaur. Taylor Fritz, the No. 9 seed and the last American man to reach a major final (in 2024), was eliminated in the third round by Francisco Cerundolo. By the end of the first week, just four of the top 10 seeds remained.
Zverev, on the other hand, was nearly upset in both his first- and second-round matches before escaping each in deciding sets. He was just two points away from defeat in his opener against Lorenzo Sonego in the fourth set before batting back. But he got better as the tournament went on and didn't lose another set again until Sunday's final.
And somehow the baffling results weren't even the biggest conversation starter around the tournament in its first week.
After there were multiple disruptions during Naomi Osaka's opening-round match for photo and video opportunities by perceived social media influencers, a discussion around etiquette suddenly took center stage, and many tennis traditionalists openly pondered if such tournament-goers were ruining the event. It became a heavily debated topic, especially in relation to the costly ticket prices that were blamed for preventing many tennis fans from attending.
Several players, most notably eventual women's finalist Aryna Sabalenka, complained about the prevailing smell of marijuana -- and that also drew more than its fair share of headlines in the first week. Others complained about the constant noise, specifically on Ashe, and fans had their own issues with smells and stadium conditions.
But tennis did eventually return to center stage.
While women's tennis had seen a revolving door of first-time champions for some time, that trend has changed drastically in recent seasons as an elite group has become constant fixtures at the end of the tournament. The US Open exemplified that reversal with the top four seeds -- Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff -- all reaching the semifinals. It was the first time since Wimbledon in 2009 that the top four made the round, and the first time at the US Open since 1975. Rybakina defeated Sabalenka in Saturday's final and leaves New York with her third major title -- and also her second of 2026 -- and the world No. 1 ranking.
But that was a stark contrast to what continued to happen in the men's draw.
After the wild first week, Daniil Medvedev, the 2021 US Open champion, was shown the door in the fourth round. And in the quarterfinals, at the end of a relentless day of tennis that saw all four matches go deciding sets, there was perhaps the most shocking result of them all as No. 8-seed Shelton battled past Alcaraz, 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (7), in a match that ended at 3:33 a.m. -- the latest finish in tournament history. It was his first win against Alcaraz in four tries and easily the biggest victory of his career. The triumph set up a semifinal clash with Frances Tiafoe, guaranteeing an American man in the final and the first Black American man to do so since Ashe himself in 1972.
Their showdown, in the primetime slot on Friday night, became the marquee match of the tournament with a passionate crowd in attendance and both players well aware of the opportunity on the line. It was the 23-year-old Shelton who earned the final berth and overnight became the country's great hope to end the drought.
Zverev's half of the draw had a far unlikelier group of quarterfinalists -- van de Zandschulp, Khachanov and No. 28 seed Alexander Blockx. The three had an average ranking of No. 51. A third-straight major final for Zverev seemed all but inevitable. He rolled past Khachanov, 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) on Friday in the first semifinal.
On Sunday, Zverev's experience showed as he methodically pounced on Shelton's nervous start and remained focused throughout. In the second set, the most competitive of the day, his impressive serve carried him in the tiebreaker to a two-set lead. After Shelton forced a fourth set -- becoming the first American man to win a set in a major final since 2009 -- Zverev broke Shelton in his first service game and never wavered again. While Zverev speculated that "99.9%" of the fans in attendance were against him, it didn't matter.
As the 2026 major season comes to a close, it's the unlikely duo of Zverev and Rybakina that walk away with multiple major titles after a US Open that won't be soon forgotten. Although even Zverev realized how close he came to an entirely different outcome.
"I was two points away from losing in the first round," Zverev said on Sunday night as all of Ashe looked on. "I'm very happy that I won that match because it would have been a different outcome otherwise."