The US Open is the final Grand Slam of the ATP Tour season. The tournament takes place at Flushing Meadows in New York.
This year’s event carried extra significance. Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton met in an all-American semi-final on the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Shelton won that contest and reached his first Grand Slam final. However, he could not end America’s long wait for a male singles champion.
Alexander Zverev defeated Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the final. The German therefore claimed his second Grand Slam title.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and tennis fan AJ Becker looks back at the key stories from the past fortnight in New York.
Alexander the Great claims title
Before 2026, Zverev already had an impressive list of achievements.
The German had won Olympic gold, the ATP Finals and seven Masters titles. However, a Grand Slam title had remained missing from his collection.
Zverev had also suffered several painful defeats at the majors.
His 2025 Grand Slam campaign only increased doubts about his ability to win a major. He finally answered those questions at the French Open.
Zverev won his maiden Grand Slam title at Roland Garros. He then reached the Wimbledon final.
The German completed another impressive run in New York. His US Open victory gave him two Grand Slam titles in the same season.
Zverev benefited from favourable draws at both tournaments. He did not face a top-10 opponent at either event before the final.
Even so, his achievement remains significant.
He recorded 25 Grand Slam match victories during the year. Only Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic had achieved more in a single year during the 21st century.
Zverev also showed his strength from the baseline. His powerful first serve remains another major weapon.
The German has now won nine of the 15 biggest ATP tournaments.
His record against left-handed players is also remarkable. He has lost only once in his last 46 matches against left-handers.
Shelton makes first Slam final
Shelton enjoyed a breakthrough run at the US Open.
The 23-year-old reached his first Grand Slam final after several impressive victories.
His mentality on the biggest stages stood out throughout the tournament. Shelton defeated established players on his way to the final.
He then produced one of the biggest wins of his career against Carlos Alcaraz.
Shelton defeated the defending champion in the quarter-finals. It was his first Grand Slam victory over a top-five opponent.
The match finished at 3:33am. Despite the late finish, Shelton recovered and continued his run.
The American also produced an exciting style of tennis.
His powerful serve and aggressive game have drawn comparisons with several big-serving left-handers.
Goran Ivanisevic, Greg Rusedski, Michaël Llodra and Feliciano López all come to mind.
Shelton still has plenty of work to do before matching those players. However, his US Open run showed his potential.
New kids on the Blockx
For all the (justifiable) attention upon Shelton, it is worth noting that other Americans have also given their nation cause for optimism at this competition.
Twenty-year-old Learner Tien became the youngest home athlete to reach the round of 16 since Roddick in 2002, grinding down the highly fancied Jakub Menšík with his trademark resilience and endurance.
In addition, Alex Michelsen made his first major quarter-final appearance at 22, and he did so without conceding a set despite facing in-form opponents Brandon Nakashima and Daniel Merida.
Moreover, European players best characterised as inexperienced at the top level also advanced deep – 21-year-old Frenchman Arthur Gea, a recent title winner in Los Cabos, capitalised on his opportunity as a lucky loser by grinding out victories in gruelling five-set battles and was match point away from being the first-ever lucky loser in a Grand Slam quarter-final.
Elsewhere, Alexander Blockx of the same age – a semi-finalist at the Madrid Masters on clay – flexed his hard-court muscles, storming into the quarter-finals on his main-draw US Open debut.
The Belgian was responsible for the elimination of seeds Flavio Cobolli and Francisco Cerundolo, demonstrating he clearly has the weapons to excel on all surfaces.
Shock results for a change
Many past US Opens have had a shock metre on empty, whereas this time round the adrenaline rush brought about by an upset occurred more frequently.
Among the most notable such results were 12th seed Rafael Jodar’s removal at the hands of lucky loser Bu Yunchaokete, who for his part gained a maiden Grand Slam win.
The in-form Arthur Fils likewise fell to a resurgent Stefanos Tsitsipas, who reached the second week in New York for the first time.
And sixth seed Alex de Minaur was taken out by Dutch underdog Botic van de Zandschulp – an ‘any means necessary’ pragmatist who is no stranger to statement wins against top players.
The end of an era?
Novak Djokovic’s mentality ensures he enters every slam with his sights firmly set on a 25th title.
In reality, the Serbian’s level continues to regress rapidly with each passing tournament.
After being outlasted by Thiago Agustín Tirante in the opening round of the Cincinnati Masters and looking underwhelming during his mixed doubles loss at the US Open, clay-court specialist Mariano Navone took advantage of Djokovic’s declining physical condition to pull off the most memorable win of his singles career.
To witness Djokovic losing in round one of a slam is to spot a rare bird – it occurred only twice in 83 such prior events.
Whatever this may mean for the 39-year-old, one ramification is that the new rankings will not feature any of the aforementioned Big Three for the first time since 2002.
Farewell to Stan and Gaël
Stan Wawrinka, the much-loved Swiss who enacted a sensational underdog victory to defeat Djokovic in the final a decade ago, was initially denied his wish to make a final appearance at Flushing Meadows as the USTA inexplicably decided not to award him a wild card.
However, Patrick Kypson’s late withdrawal gave the 41-year-old a condign opportunity to bring the curtain down on his illustrious Grand Slam career.
Gaël Monfils – whose US Open personal best also came in 2016 – isn’t exactly limelight-allergic either.
The Frenchman celebrated his 40th birthday by fighting back from a set down to defeat Paraguayan Daniel Vallejo and attain a 131st, and last, slam win – much to the delight of spectators.
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