Alexander Zverev - Ben Shelton, the men's final at the 2026 US Open

Ben Shelton reached the first Grand Slam final of his career at the US Open on Friday evening after defeating his compatriot Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5. The American, seeded eighth and ranked ninth in the ATP rankings, will face Germany’s Alexander Zverev on Sunday, the tournament’s top seed.

Shelton has the chance to win his first major title and end a 23-year wait for American men’s tennis. The last player from the United States to win the US Open men’s singles title was Andy Roddick, in 2003.

The 23-year-old Shelton has a perfect record in the finals he has played this season, winning four titles in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal. He eliminated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals.

Zverev reached the final after defeating Karen Khachanov in a match that lasted two hours and 56 minutes. The German leads Shelton 5-0 in their head-to-head record and is aiming to win his second Grand Slam title of the year, after Roland Garros. The final will also have implications for the battle for the year-end No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings.