Two champions who had come close in New York before finally lifted the US Open trophies this weekend. Elena Rybakina ended Aryna Sabalenka’s two-year reign on Saturday, and Alexander Zverev beat home favourite Ben Shelton on Sunday to win his first US Open — six years after letting a two-set lead slip in the 2020 final.
Zverev completes the comeback story
Zverev beat Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, September 13. The German broke serve in the opening game, dominated the second-set tiebreak 7-2 and, after Shelton snatched the third set 7-5 with a late break, regained control early in the fourth after winning a 25-shot rally. When Shelton’s final return sailed long, Zverev briefly did not realise he had won until the umpire confirmed it.
It is Zverev’s second Grand Slam title, following his breakthrough at the French Open in June. In 2020 he lost the US Open final to Dominic Thiem from two sets up, a defeat that had hung over his career.
For Shelton, the run was still historic. He reached his first major final and became the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. His quarter-final win over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in tournament history. Andy Roddick, champion in 2003, remains the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Rybakina ends Sabalenka’s streak
In Saturday’s women’s final, Rybakina beat two-time defending champion Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. The Kazakh broke for a 3-2 lead in the first set, lost a tight second set and then raced to a 5-2 lead in the decider before serving it out.
The win ended Sabalenka’s 20-match winning streak at the US Open and her bid for a third straight title. Rybakina had arrived with an ankle injury that raised doubts about her fitness, then won seven matches, including a semi-final against Coco Gauff.
- It is Rybakina’s third Grand Slam title, after Wimbledon in 2022 and the Australian Open in January, where she also beat Sabalenka in the final.
- She becomes only the third woman this century to win both hard-court majors in the same season.
- The title lifts her to world No. 1.
Record prize money
Both champions earned a record $5.5 million, the largest singles winner’s cheque in the tournament’s history.
What’s next
With the final Grand Slam of the year complete, attention turns to the Asian hard-court swing and the season-ending championships, where the rankings race — now led by Rybakina on the women’s side — will be decided.