Alexander Zverev’s second Grand Slam title didn’t silence the doubters — if anything, it turned the volume up. Now his older brother Mischa has stepped in, and he isn’t pulling punches.
Zverev claimed the 2026 US Open crown by beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final, adding a second major to the French Open title he won earlier this year. But the win landed alongside a familiar asterisk from parts of the tennis world: Jannik Sinner sat the tournament out with a right knee issue, and Carlos Alcaraz was still finding his feet after a lengthy injury layoff.
⚡ The bigger picture: Zverev has now won two of the last three majors he’s reached the final of — but both came with a share of Sinner or Alcaraz missing from the draw.
What Happened At The US Open Final
Zverev’s win over Shelton was no formality. He took the first set 6-3 and the second in a tiebreak, but Shelton — backed by a raucous home crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium — clawed back the third set 7-5 before Zverev closed it out 6-2 in the fourth. It was Zverev’s second Grand Slam title of the season, following his French Open triumph, and ended a 23-year wait for the American men’s game to end without a champion once again, after Shelton’s run through the draw — including a five-set win over defending champion Alcaraz in the quarter-finals — fell just short.
At the trophy presentation, Zverev reflected on the years of near-misses that preceded this run, referencing his heartbreaking five-set loss to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 final.
Zverev On Whether He’s The Best Player Right Now
Asked directly in his post-final press conference whether he considers himself the tour’s best player, Zverev gave a careful, conditional answer — crediting Sinner’s absence and Alcaraz’s lack of match sharpness for his current position at the top, while stopping short of claiming superiority over a fully fit Sinner.
⚡ Zverev said that with Sinner injured and Alcaraz still working his way back from a four-month layoff, he’d currently call himself the best — but that if all three were fully healthy, he believes Sinner remains ahead, citing his own struggles against the World No. 1 earlier in the season.
Zverev’s head-to-head record against the pair underlines that point: he holds a 4-11 record against Sinner and a 6-7 record against Alcaraz.
The Bigger Debate: Does An Asterisk Diminish A Slam?
Zverev’s win has reignited a recurring tennis debate — whether a Grand Slam title “counts” the same when two dominant rivals aren’t at full strength to contest it. Mischa Zverev’s response reframes that question: rather than treating Sinner and Alcaraz’s absences as luck falling Alexander’s way, he points to the physical toll both players have taken on by competing at the outer edge of their limits all season.
⚡ Why it matters: Every men’s Grand Slam is contested by whoever is fit enough to be in the draw — and both Sinner and Alcaraz have missed majors this season for exactly that reason.
Whatever side of the debate fans land on, the trophy is real, and Zverev now has two majors to his name in 2026 alone — a career-best season by any measure.
FAQ
Q: What was the score of the 2026 US Open men’s final? A: Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2.
Q: Why did Jannik Sinner miss the 2026 US Open? A: A persistent right knee issue kept him out of the tournament.
Q: Why was Carlos Alcaraz not at full strength? A: He was making his return from right wrist tenosynovitis, an injury he suffered in April 2026, and had been out for around four months.
