{"id":998,"date":"2026-09-14T00:43:35","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T00:43:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/09\/14\/ben-shelton-loses-us-open-mens-final-congratulates-germanys-alexander-zverev-for-winning-4-set-thriller\/"},"modified":"2026-09-14T00:43:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T00:43:35","slug":"ben-shelton-loses-us-open-mens-final-congratulates-germanys-alexander-zverev-for-winning-4-set-thriller","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/09\/14\/ben-shelton-loses-us-open-mens-final-congratulates-germanys-alexander-zverev-for-winning-4-set-thriller\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben Shelton Loses US Open Men\u2019s Final, Congratulates Germany\u2019s Alexander Zverev for Winning 4-Set Thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Zverev defeated Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sept. 13<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/KSW0doi0So_rddkrOUIvDeESaRw=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/_Ben-Shelton-091326-0652bc594a6e4bcd80a35309aa1478c9.jpg\" alt=\"Ben Shelton at the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026Credit: Patrick Smith\/Getty\" title=\" Ben Shelton of the United States reacts against Alexander Zverev of Germany in their Men's Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.\" \/><figcaption><i>Ben Shelton at the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026<br \/>Credit: Patrick Smith\/Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ben Shelton lost to Alexander Zverev in the US Open men\u2019s singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13<\/li>\n<li>Zverev defeated Shelton in four sets: 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2<\/li>\n<li>After the match, Shelton congratulated Zverev, adding: \u201cYou\u2019re one of the very best players in the world. Maybe the best player in the world this year. What you\u2019re doing is incredible.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/trinity-rodman-shares-message-after-boyfriend-ben-shelton-thrilling-us-open-win-12112492\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Ben Shelton<\/a>\u2019s first Grand Slam final has ended in heartbreak.<\/p>\n<p>Germany\u2019s Alexander Zverev defeated Shelton, 23, in four sets \u2014 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 \u2014 at the US Open men\u2019s singles final in front of a packed house at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13. This is Zverev\u2019s second Grand Slam title and second major of the year.<\/p>\n<p>Shelton, who became the first Black American man to reach a US Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972, congratulated Zverev, 29, after the match, which lasted 3 hours and 37 minutes.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/CrydRwYyAsFLZSC6Z20GKrK7GKE=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/Alexander-Zverev-091326-3-8cbc634b1ee048a0967bef655635d7c9.jpg\" alt=\"Alexander Zverev celebrates winning the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026Credit: Patrick Smith\/Getty\" title=\"Alexander Zverev of Germany celebrates match point against Ben Shelton of the United States in their Men's Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City\" \/><figcaption><i>Alexander Zverev celebrates winning the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026<br \/>Credit: Patrick Smith\/Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cFirst and most importantly I want to thank God. My successes are a gift. The failures are a gift. Being here playing in front of you guys is a gift,\u201d Shelton said on the court after the match while addressing the crowd.<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cCongrats on these two weeks, man. Your second Grand Slam title. Two in one year. You\u2019re one of the very best players in the world \u2014\u00a0maybe the best player in the world this year. What you\u2019re doing is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe way you are serving, moving and playing. You work harder than anyone I know. You put more hours on the court than anyone I know. You and your team do things the right way. I\u2019m sincerely happy for you guys to hold this title,\u201d the American tennis player continued.<\/p>\n<p>Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-sports-newsletter-signup-11947275\">PEOPLE\u2019s free sports newsletter<\/a> \u2014 sign up now!<\/p>\n<p>An American man has not won the US Open in 23 years \u2014\u00a0since Andy Roddick\u2019s triumph in 2003.<\/p>\n<p>Zverev kept that drought alive in front of a star-studded crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where celebrities like Brad Pitt, Ines de Ramon, Anna Wintour, Katie Holmes, Pierce Brosnan, Courteney Cox, Rami Malek, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jordyn Woods, Spike Lee, Chris Pine, Martha Stewart, Benny Blanco took in the thrilling four-set match.<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/QlqMvOzwSTVvfb_GvmPPOfwY8xk=\/fit-in\/1280x960\/Ben-Shelton-091326-d40d959630214016b28318699fdcbf12.jpg\" alt=\"Ben Shelton after falling short of winning the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026Credit: Al Bello\/Getty\" title=\"Ben Shelton of the United States reacts after being defeated by Alexander Zverev of Germany in their Men's Singles Final match on Day Fifteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 13, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.\" \/><figcaption><i>Ben Shelton after falling short of winning the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026<br \/>Credit: Al Bello\/Getty<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Zverev won his first major championship in June after defeating Italy\u2019s Flavio Cobolli in the French Open.<\/p>\n<p>Zverev currently ranked No. 2 in the world behind Jannik Sinner. Sinner <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/jannik-sinner-withdraws-2026-us-open-over-knee-injury-12065150\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">withdrew from the US Open<\/a> in August amid a lingering knee issue. The Italian athlete, 25, won the US Open in 2024.<\/p>\n<p>Shelton\u2019s journey to the final was a challenging one. He defeated compatriot Frances Tiafoe, 28, in the semifinal on Friday, Sept. 11.<\/p>\n<p>In Shelton\u2019s quarterfinal clash against Spanish star <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/carlos-alcaraz-congratulates-ben-shelton-after-us-open-battle-12113240\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-type=\"internalLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\">Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> on Tuesday, Sept. 8, the pair played a grueling 4-hour, 28-minute match that became the latest finish in US Open history. The match began at 11:05 p.m. ET and didn\u2019t end until 3:33 a.m. ET.<\/p>\n<p>Alcaraz later congratulated Shelton in a post on Instagram. \u201cWhat a battle Ben! \u2764\ufe0f You deserve the win, I wish you the best for the rest of the tournament! \ud83d\ude4c\ud83c\udffb \u201c<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cI leave here happy with my level after such a long injury. Thank you for the energy NYC! \u26a1\ufe0f Always a very special place! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Zverev defeated Shelton 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sept. 13 Ben Shelton at the US Open on Sept. 13, 2026Credit: Patrick Smith\/Getty NEED TO KNOW Ben Shelton lost to Alexander Zverev in the US Open men\u2019s singles final at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 13 Zverev defeated Shelton in four sets: 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-998","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=998"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/998\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=998"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}