Alexander Zverev is the favourite in the US Open final but has a poor record against Top 10 players this year. I am backing Ben Shelton to overturn an 0-5 record against Zverev and claim his first Grand Slam title.
| Alexander Zverev | Ben Shelton | |
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Germany | United States |
| Age | 29 (20 April 1997) | 23 (9 October 2002) |
| Height | 6'6" (1.98m) | 6'4" (1.93m) |
| Plays | Right-Handed | Left-Handed |
| Ranking | 2 | 9 |
| Career High | 2 (June 2022) | 5 (November 2025) |
| ATP Tour Titles | 25 | 7 |
| 2026 ATP Tour Titles | 1 | 4 |
| Grand Slam Titles | 1 | 0 |
| US Open Best Result | Runner-Up (2020) | Semi-Finals (2023) |
HTH
Alexander Zverev is 5-0 against Ben Shelton, winning the previous four encounters in straight sets.
| Year | Event | Surface | Round | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Tour Finals | Hard | RR | Zverev | 6-3 7-6 |
| 2025 | Cincinnati Masters | Hard | QF | Zverev | 6-2 6-2 |
| 2025 | Stuttgart | Grass | SF | Zverev | 7-6 7-6 |
| 2025 | Munich | Clay | F | Zverev | 6-2 6-4 |
| 2024 | Cincinnati Masters | Hard | QF | Zverev | 3-6 7-6 7-5 |
Zverev Into Third Straight Grand Slam Final
Alexander Zverev has been continually falling to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz but is flourishing in their absence. He won the French Open and reached the Wimbledon final, winning the first set against Sinner before going down in 4 sets.
The German came to the US Open in poor form and needed 5 sets to get past Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys. He hasn’t lost a set since, defeating Alejandro Tabilo, Luciano Darderi and Botic van de Zandschulp.
The 29-year-old beat Karen Khachanov 6-3 7-6 7-6 in the semi-finals, saving two set points in the third set. He will now take part in his sixth Grand Slam final and second in New York following his defeat to Dominic Thiem in 2020.
Shelton Making Big Strides in New York
Ben Shelton has won four titles this year, winning on all three surfaces in Dallas, Munich and Stuttgart. He recently won the Canada Masters without dropping a set.
The 23-year-old lost in his opening match in Cincinnati and didn’t do it easy at the US Open, getting past Tallon Griekspoor, Hubert Hurkacz and Denis Shapovalov in 4 sets.
The American beat Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-3 6-4 in under two hours and produced an impressive performance to beat Carlos Alcaraz 6-7 6-1 6-3 1-6 7-6, saving 8/11 break points.
The World No.9 came back to beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6 6-3 6-3 7-5 in the semi-finals, hitting 20 aces, 47 winners and 31 unforced errors.
Shelton knows he will have the crowd on his side in the final and sent a message before the showdown: “I am going to need you guys on Sunday. I'm going for it here. I'm going to leave it all on the court. I hope you guys come back me. Let's do this for the USA.”