The US Open Final ,Shelton will take on Alexander Zverev on September 13 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. where the clash is slated for a start at 2:00 PM ET (8:00 PM CEST). Zverev will be seeking his second Grand Slam, while Shelton will feature in his maiden appearance in a grand slam final. Shelton is determined to break a barren run of many years for the United States in the men’s Grand Slam singles tournament.
Zverev enters as the heavy favorite, having won all five previous meetings between the two, including a straight-sets win at last year’s Nitto ATP Finals. He’s also won his last four matches without dropping a set, a run of form that suggests he’s peaking at exactly the right time. Expect a physical, high-intensity final, but Zverev’s head-to-head dominance and superior big-match composure should be enough to see him through in four sets.
Zverev leads the Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-0, with their most recent meeting coming at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals Round Robin, where the German won in straight sets. Their history also includes a 2025 BMW Open final in Munich, which Zverev won 6-2, 6-4. Shelton has never beaten Zverev in a tour-level match, adding extra weight to the challenge in front of him Sunday.
Shelton’s road to the final ran directly through defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, whom he stunned in a quarterfinal that finished at 3:33 AM. The latest-ever conclusion to a match in US Open history. He then survived an all-American classic against Frances Tiafoe in the semifinals, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 on a day. That marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. The win made Shelton the first Black American man to reach the US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972.
Zverev’s path has been steadier but no less impressive. He was pushed to five sets in each of his first two rounds, but has since reeled off four consecutive straight-sets wins, capped by a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6(9/7), 7-6(8/6) semifinal victory over Karen Khachanov. It’s his third straight Grand Slam final of the season, following his maiden major title at Roland Garros in June and a runner-up finish at Wimbledon.
A win Sunday would make Shelton the first American man to win a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick at the 2003 US Open. Ending a 23-year drought that has hung over American men’s tennis. Shelton dedicated his semifinal win to his late grandmother, whose sacrifices he credited with making his tennis career possible, adding raw emotional weight to an already historic run.
Zverev is chasing his second Grand Slam title of the year and the second of his career, having lost his only previous US Open final back in 2020 to Dominic Thiem. A win would also complete a career-best major season, with a title and a final already banked heading into New York. Zverev has spoken candidly about years of near-misses at the majors, framing this season as the one where things have finally gone his way.
Shelton was direct about his mindset heading into the final, saying he’s going for it and plans to leave everything on the court, while asking the New York crowd to get behind him. Zverev, aware the partisan crowd will likely favor his American opponent, called the atmosphere something he expects to be incredibly special.
Kickoff is Sunday, September 13 at 2:00 PM ET (8:00 PM CEST) at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Coverage airs on ESPN in the United States, with streaming available on ESPN+.
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