Summary
✓Reviewed by Laura Bennett Top seed Alexander Zverev and eighth seed Ben Shelton advanced to the 2026 US Open men's singles final on September 11, setting up a blockbuster title match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, September 13. Zverev...
Table of contents
- 1 Zverev Overcomes Two Tight Tiebreaks to Reach Sixth Grand Slam Final
- 2 Shelton Makes History With Four-Set Win Over Tiafoe
- 3 Road to the Final: How Both Players Got Here
- 4 Semifinal Results at a Glance
- 5 What to Watch in the Final
- 6 Women’s Final: Sabalenka Faces Rybakina
- 7 What This Means for the Rest of the Season
- 8 Sources
Top seed Alexander Zverev and eighth seed Ben Shelton advanced to the 2026 US Open men’s singles final on September 11, setting up a blockbuster title match at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, September 13. Zverev defeated Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) in straight sets, while Shelton overcame fellow American Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in four sets to reach his first Grand Slam final — and make history as the first Black American man in a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
The final pits Germany’s world number one, chasing a second Grand Slam title this year, against a 23-year-old American riding a wave of home support after knocking out defending champion Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the tournament. The men’s final is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET (2 a.m. SGT Monday) on September 13 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Zverev Overcomes Two Tight Tiebreaks to Reach Sixth Grand Slam Final
Zverev opened the afternoon session on Arthur Ashe Stadium and needed just under three hours to dispatch Khachanov. The German controlled the opening set, breaking Khachanov’s serve to take it 6-3, but the Russian dug in during the second and third sets, pushing both to tiebreaks.
In the second-set tiebreak, Zverev trailed before closing it out 9-7. The third-set tiebreak followed a similar pattern, with the top seed prevailing 8-6 to complete the straight-sets victory. According to Tennis Majors, the win gave Zverev a third consecutive Grand Slam final appearance and the sixth of his career.
“Following the second round, around 3 a.m., I found myself in the locker room,” Zverev said on court after the match, describing the difficult early rounds of his tournament, according to the BBC. “In practice I started feeling the ball better, and then moving forward I was playing much better tennis.”
Addressing his upcoming final against Shelton, the German added with a grin: “Hopefully, I can not make the American dream come true on Sunday,” as reported by ESPN.
Shelton Makes History With Four-Set Win Over Tiafoe
The night session at Arthur Ashe Stadium belonged to an all-American semifinal that had the New York crowd on its feet for over three hours. Tiafoe, the 11th seed, came out firing and took the opening set 6-4, but Shelton regrouped to win three consecutive sets — 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 — and seal his place in the final.
It was the first meeting in the semifinals or later of a Grand Slam between two Black American men in the Open era, according to ESPN. Shelton’s victory made him the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe won the title in 1972, and the first to reach any Grand Slam singles final since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996 — a wait of 54 years and 30 years respectively.
An emotional Shelton addressed the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd after the match. “It’s a lot of emotion. My mom and dad sacrificed a lot for me to be in this position today,” Shelton said, as reported by Tennis Majors. “My dad lost his mom earlier this year. Without her there’s no Ben Shelton standing here today. This one is for her.”
Road to the Final: How Both Players Got Here
Zverev, the 2026 French Open champion, has been the most consistent player on the men’s tour this season. He entered the US Open as the top seed and dropped just one set en route to the final, including a commanding 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 quarterfinal victory over Botic van de Zandschulp. His semifinal run at all four Grand Slams in 2026 makes him only the ninth man in the Open era to achieve that feat in a single season.
Shelton’s path was far more dramatic. The 23-year-old stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal thriller that finished as the latest-ever match in US Open history, prevailing 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7), according to The Guardian. That victory set the stage for Friday’s all-American semifinal against Tiafoe.
Semifinal Results at a Glance
| Match | Winner | Score | Duration | Key Stat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinal 1 | [1] Alexander Zverev | 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) | ~3 hours | Third consecutive Grand Slam final |
| Semifinal 2 | [8] Ben Shelton | 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 | 3 hours 17 minutes | First Grand Slam final; first Black American man in US Open final since 1972 |
What to Watch in the Final
Sunday’s final presents a clash of styles and storylines. Zverev, 29, brings the experience of five previous Grand Slam finals and the clinical baseline game that has defined his 2026 season. He is bidding to become the first man since Novak Djokovic to win both the French Open and US Open in the same calendar year.
Shelton, meanwhile, relies on one of the biggest serves in the men’s game and an aggressive all-court approach that has already toppled Alcaraz this fortnight. Shelton leads their ATP head-to-head 3-1, a record that could give the American confidence heading into his maiden major final, according to the US Open’s official preview.
For Singapore tennis fans, the final will air in the early hours of Monday, September 14 SGT. The last American man to win the US Open singles title was Andy Roddick in 2003, and Shelton will carry the weight of a 23-year drought on his shoulders alongside the historic significance of his achievement.
Women’s Final: Sabalenka Faces Rybakina
The women’s singles final, scheduled for 4 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 12 (4 a.m. SGT Sunday), features top seed Aryna Sabalenka against Elena Rybakina. Sabalenka is chasing a third consecutive hard-court Grand Slam title after winning the 2024 and 2025 Australian Opens, while Rybakina is appearing in her first US Open final after a dominant run through the draw.
What This Means for the Rest of the Season
Regardless of Sunday’s result, Zverev will finish the US Open as the world number one. A victory would give him two Grand Slam titles in a single season and cement his status as the dominant force in men’s tennis in 2026. For Shelton, a win would make him the youngest American man to win a Grand Slam since Roddick at the same tournament and would vault him into the top five of the ATP rankings.
The 2026 US Open has already delivered one of the most compelling men’s draws in recent memory, with Djokovic falling in the first round, Alcaraz eliminated in the quarterfinals, and an all-American semifinal that produced a historic finalist. Sunday’s title match promises to add another chapter to a tournament full of surprises.
