For the second time in 2026, and the second time in his career, Alexander Zverev of Hamburg, Germany is a major champion. After winning the French Open in June, Zverev came through in the men’s final on Sunday at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, New York with a 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 win over American Ben Shelton.
Zverev broke Shelton four times in six opportunities. He also dominated the second set tiebreak, as he won 7-2. It looked like Shelton had some momentum after winning the third set. However, Zverev dominated the fourth set to take the match.
One storyline this century in American tennis is the fact that no American man has won the United States Open since 2003. Twenty-three years ago Andy Roddick of Omaha, Nebraska defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the final, 6-3, 7-6, 6-3,
Since Roddick was the champion for his only major title, men’s players from 10 different countries have won the U.S. Open. The players have come from Switzerland, Argentina, Spain, Serbia, Great Britain, Croatia, Austria, Russia, Italy, and Germany.
What Zverev has been able to accomplish as a high performance tennis player is extraordinary when you consider the fact he has Type 1 diabetes. Zverev has given high praise to his mother for helping him become a tennis player as a child when doctors were very skeptical that he could become a high performance athlete with his medical condition.
Zverev was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age four. Over the years, the technology has made it easier for Zverev to monitor his blood sugar levels. Zverev uses an insulin pen to inject treatment into his thigh. He can be seen doing this regularly during commercial timeouts and changeovers.
