Top seed Zverev is chasing a second Grand Slam title after winning Roland Garros earlier this year. Eighth seed Shelton is playing in his first major final and aiming to become the first American man to win a Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003.
Match details
- Fixture: Alexander Zverev vs Ben Shelton
- Date: Sunday, 13 September 2026
- Time: 14:00 ET / 19:00 WAT / 20:00 CEST
- Venue: Arthur Ashe Stadium, USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
- Prize: Champion $5.5 million; runner-up $2.8 million
Zverev leads the head-to-head 5-0, including a straight-sets win at the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals. The German is 1-4 in Grand Slam finals. Shelton is unbeaten in five tour finals this season after titles in Dallas, Munich, Stuttgart and Montreal.
Zverev reached the final with a 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) win over Karen Khachanov. Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in an all-American semi-final and had earlier knocked out defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets.
The 29-year-old Zverev has reached major finals on clay, grass and hard courts in 2026. Shelton, 23, is the youngest American US Open men’s finalist since Roddick 23 years ago.
Sunday’s winner will leave New York with the richest singles cheque in tennis history and the last Grand Slam title of the season.