A Champion Hungry for More
Alexander Zverev arrives at Sunday's US Open men's final in Flushing Meadows carrying the momentum of a landmark 2026 season. After three painful runner-up finishes at major tournaments, the 29-year-old German finally broke through at the French Open in Paris, defeating Flavio Cobolli in the final to claim his first Grand Slam title. He followed that with a runner-up finish at Wimbledon against Jannik Sinner, and now stands one win away from a remarkable double. The opportunities have come partly because Sinner was ruled out of the US Open and Carlos Alcaraz missed both the French Open and Wimbledon through injury, giving others room to step forward. Zverev acknowledged that dynamic with confidence: "I believed in it. I believed that it's possible. I think not many of you guys did." His commanding semifinal victory over Karen Khachanov, a three-set win, reinforced his status as the slight favorite heading into Sunday. One quirky storyline: Khachanov publicly noted that Zverev's habit of bouncing the ball more than 15 times before serving "annoys a lot of players," though Zverev insists it is purely instinctive rather than tactical.
Shelton Chasing American History
Ben Shelton, the 23-year-old American eighth seed, enters the final as a crowd favorite with a roaring 24,000-seat home arena behind him. Having lost two Grand Slam semifinal matches previously, in 2023 and 2025, Shelton broke through by defeating fellow American Frances Tiafoe in the last four. He would become the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title in 23 years, a fact not lost on anyone in New York. Shelton has never beaten Zverev in five previous meetings, making that streak another mountain to climb. Both finalists come from tennis families: Zverev's parents were Soviet-era professionals, while Shelton's father Bryan coached at college level and won two ATP Tour titles during his playing career. Shelton summed up his week simply: "I'm in positions I've never been in before." TennisDraw users have been closely split on this one, with both finalists drawing strong support in bracket predictions throughout the tournament.
