Over a month back, neither of the US Open men’s singles finalists was anywhere in the reckoning. The conversation swung between whether Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner would even be fit to play, and Novak Djokovic ‘s chances, in the twilight of his career, of a 25th major. By the end of the fortnight in New York, none of those three are around. An injured Sinner never played. Djokovic was out in the first round. Alcaraz, testing the waters after injury, made it as far as the quarterfinals.
Zverev, the top seed, will lean on his serve and his experience in the final. He’s been here before, having led two sets to love and served for a 5-3 lead in the 2020 final before losing to Dominic Thiem. He also lost two other major finals — the 2024 French Open and the 2025 Australian Open — before finally winning his maiden Slam this June.
What stood out more, though, was his return game and defensive play against both Alcaraz and Tiafoe. If he can bring that into this final against the big-serving German, and hold onto the mental fortitude he showed in the decisive final set and the extended tiebreak against Alcaraz, there’s a real path forward for him. Playing the best tennis of his career, Shelton turned heads by stunning defending champion Alcaraz in the quarterfinals in an epic that finished at 3:33 a.m., then rallied from a set down to beat compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal, closing that match with 47 winners to Tiafoe’s 27 to reach his first Grand Slam final.
I was 0-1 against Tsitsipas and 0-3 against Carlos. “The key here has been figuring out how to solve problems. Foe (Tiafoe) had beaten me in our last match on this court. It was a tough battle, so I think I’m now fully capable of rising to the challenge and finding solutions. I feel like a different player. I feel like I have so many more tools.
I know my identity better, I’m comfortable with myself and I know what I need to play at the highest level,” he said.
