Men’s top seed Alexander Zverev caps breakthrough year with US Open title

By Jacob Lev, CNN

(CNN) — Men’s top seed Alexander Zverev won a thrilling four-set, three-hour and 33 minute showdown with No. 8 seed Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 to win his first career US Open title on Sunday.

It is the second career grand slam win for the 29-year-old from Germany, with his first coming at Roland Garros earlier this year.

Zverev’s triumph further extends the grand slam drought for American men at least another year.

After morning rain plagued the New York metropolitan area earlier in the day, the roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium was open and ready for the battle between the two.

However, the first set was Zverev’s comfortably. The German jumped out to a 3-1 lead, and Shelton couldn’t keep up despite his usual strong serves that seem to give many trouble. Zverev took the set 6-3.

The second set proved to be more difficult for Zverev, with the 23-year-old Shelton continuing to respond to everything he did.

Earlier this week, the 29-year-old Zverev was asked about his lengthy bouncing of the balls before serves which he claimed he did not do it “on purpose.”

Well, things got testy as Shelton complained to the chair umpire about Zverev’s antics ahead of his serves. No penalty or warning was ultimately assessed.

The pressure on Zverev did not let up with Shelton eventually forcing a tiebreak, but the German jumped out to a rapid 5-0 lead and eventually would win the set 7-6 (2).

Shelton showed his mettle in the third set, and the New York crowd came to life.

The American quickly ran up to a 4-3 lead but Zverev showed no quit, with both players going back-and-forth. But it was Shelton who won the third frame 7-5, avoiding a straight-set defeat.

Just as the crowd was back into it with a majority behind Shelton, it was Zverev that overcame the momentum swing and dispatched Shelton 6-2 in a comfortable fourth set to cap off a career year.

After Shelton failed to return serve on championship point, Zverev didn’t seem to initially realize he had clinched the win. After a few seconds, he went into celebration mode and let out a huge “lets go” to his box.

Zverev finishes his year with a 25-2 in majors and is taking home won $5.5 million, the same prize earned by women’s singles champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history.

Zverev knew he was not the crowd favorite but still thanked them for the support the last two weeks.

“It was an incredible atmosphere to play in, even though the crowd was against me. You guys brought the energy and noise,” Zverev said.

Shelton’s girlfriend and soccer star, Trinity Rodman, who had a game earlier Sunday with her National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) team Washington Spirit, was able to make it from Washington DC to catch the ending of the match.

Zverev joked, “Trinity, I thought you had a game today, no? Well done to you as well. You’re the lucky charm. … Not today, but usually.”

Shelton came up short in his quest to become the first American man to win the tournament since Andy Roddick did so in 2003. He was also aiming to become the first Black male tennis player to win it since Arthur Ashe in 1968.

“My successes are a gift, my failures are a gift. Playing in front of you guys is a gift,” Shelton told the crowd after the match.

“I have the best support team in the business. To do this with my family by my side, these four guys over here who dedicate their life to my career, spend time travelling the world with me, it’s an unnatural commitment. I appreciate you guys.”

Shelton ended by saying, “I’m just getting started, I’ll be back here again.”

This story has been updated with the latest information.

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