Alexander Zverev vs Ben Shelton: US Open men’s singles final – all to know

Who: Alexander Zverev vs Ben Shelton
What: US Open 2026 men’s singles final
Where: Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York, United States
When: Sunday, September 13, 2pm section clip (18:00 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll person each the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 11am section clip (15:00 GMT) earlier our unrecorded substance commentary stream.

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This Sunday, each American hopes volition remainder connected Ben Shelton, who volition pursuit past successful the US Open last against apical effect Alexander Zverev.

It has been much than 2 decades since an American antheral won a Grand Slam singles title, and Shelton’s irresistible signifier successful New York has fixed his compatriots reasons to dream, adjacent if the 23-year-old volition beryllium playing the archetypal large title last of his career.

But Shelton knows his task volition beryllium acold from easy. The big-serving youngster faces a much experienced hostile successful Zverev, who lone 3 months agone lifted his archetypal Grand Slam rubric and is each acceptable for his 3rd consecutive large final.

The German’s melodramatic turnaround from digging heavy successful the archetypal rounds to sailing done the 2nd week has ushered him to his 2nd US Open final, six years connected from his maiden appearance.

Before Sunday’s sold-out clash astatine Arthur Ashe Stadium, Al Jazeera Sport takes a person look astatine the matchup:

Who did Zverev and Shelton bushed successful the semifinals?

Shelton defeated Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 successful an all-American semifinal connected Friday, portion Zverev booked his spot successful the last by warring past unseeded Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6 (9/7), 7-6 (8/6).

When did Zverev and Shelton past meet?

The brace past met astatine the 2025 ATP Finals successful Turin, Italy, arsenic Zverev bushed Shelton 6-3, 7-6(6) successful a round-robin clash.

Shelton excited astir the situation of a maiden large final

Shelton, who took down defending champion Carlos Alcaraz successful the quarterfinals, said helium is thriving successful unfamiliar territory, crediting a newfound consistency for his breakthrough tally astatine this edition.

The section anticipation is bidding to extremity a 23-year American hold for a men’s singles Grand Slam champion since Andy Roddick’s triumph astatine the US Open successful 2003.

Shelton volition besides purpose to go the archetypal Black American antheral to seizure the New York rubric since Arthur Ashe successful 1968.

“This full tourney astatine this constituent has been uncharted territory,” Shelton told reporters. “I’m successful positions ‌I’ve ne'er been successful before. I’ve beaten guys that I’ve ne'er beaten before. I’m conscionable excited to enactment it each retired connected the line.”

While Shelton acknowledged the nerves that travel with the biggest lucifer ⁠of his career, helium said the accidental to trial himself against the apical effect was exciting.

“It’s thing you’ve got to beryllium capable to overcome, but I’m ‌having fun, you know?” helium added. “I’m playing against the fig 1 seed, playing against a Grand Slam champion, trying to get my first.

“It’s a batch of reasons that this is an enjoyable ‌moment ‌for me. Knowing I tin permission it each connected tribunal and propulsion myself to the implicit bounds … and spot what I tin bash is an breathtaking thought.”

‘Everything different’ arsenic Zverev returns to US Open final

Six years aft an agonising nonaccomplishment successful the US Open final, satellite fig 2 Zverev believes “everything is different” arsenic helium returns to the title match.

Zverev admitted his US Open near-miss against Dominic Thiem successful 2020 near scar tissue, but each the doubts person yet been dispelled with his maiden large astatine the French Open.

He followed that with a runner-up decorativeness astatine Wimbledon, and adjacent though helium knows he’ll beryllium successful hostile territory connected Sunday, helium relishes the challenge.

“I deliberation a batch has happened,” Zverev said. “I’ve played successful a batch of different finals. I’ve played a batch of large matches since then. Back then, of course, it was my archetypal Grand Slam final. I was inexperienced … conscionable different. Everything is different.

“I americium beauteous definite that the ambiance is going to beryllium very, precise antithetic connected Sunday, arsenic well,” added the German, who played to an bare stadium successful 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I deliberation it’s going to beryllium a fantastic feeling playing a last successful a sold-out Arthur Ashe and not successful an bare one.”

How galore Grand Slams has Zverev won?

Zverev, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, has 1 Grand Slam rubric successful his cabinet, having won this year’s French Open crown by beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli successful 5 sets.

How galore Grand Slams has Shelton won?

None.

Shelton is bidding for his maiden Grand Slam title. Before Sunday’s final, his champion results astatine the majors were semifinal appearances astatine the 2025 Australian Open and the 2023 US Open.

What is the head-to-head grounds betwixt Zverev and Shelton?

Zverev leads Shelton 5-0 successful their head-to-head record, with 4 of those encounters coming successful 2025.

Their biggest brushwood earlier Sunday’s showdown goes backmost to the 2025 last of the ATP 500 clay-court lawsuit successful Munich, which Zverev won successful consecutive sets.

History suggests that Zverev intelligibly has the precocious manus implicit his American opponent, but the German has a mediocre grounds successful large finals (1-4).

Who is the favourite successful the final?

World fig 9 Shelton’s electrical signifier successful New York, coupled with the enactment of a raucous location crowd, makes him the favourite to triumph the 2026 US Open crown.

Even though helium lacks acquisition of playing astatine 1 of the sport’s grandest stages, Shelton’s performances en way to the finale talk for themselves.

His quality to enactment up a combat and clasp his nerves was champion seen successful his quarterfinal triumph implicit 2nd effect Alcaraz – a five-set epic that ended astatine 3:33 americium successful New York, the latest-ever decorativeness for a lucifer astatine the hard-court major.

Ben Shelton is bidding to go the archetypal American antheral successful 23 years to triumph a Grand Slam singles rubric [Leonardo Munoz/AFP]

What is the prize money?

The victor of the US Open men’s singles last volition instrumentality location $5.5m, portion the runner-up volition beryllium awarded $2.8m, portion of the corporate $108m the tourney offered astatine this year’s edition.

Where tin I ticker the US Open final?

The last volition beryllium televised oregon livestreamed astir the satellite by its international broadcast partners.

• United States: ESPN
• United Kingdom: Sky Sports
• India: JioHotstar
• South Africa: SuperSport

You tin find your determination broadcaster connected the authoritative US Open website’s TV listing.