Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy after he won the men’s singles final of the US Open against Ben Shelton. (AP Photo)
Zverev Claims First Grand Slam Title in Paris
Alexander Zverev secured his first Grand Slam title at the 2026 French Open, marking a significant achievement after a series of near misses in major finals. Previously, Zverev reached the finals at the US Open in 2020 and the French Open in 2024, but this victory in Paris ended his streak of disappointment.
During the trophy presentation, Zverev reflected on the journey leading to this moment, stating, “I think God has seen how hard we worked, how much we suffered, how much pain we went through and I think 2026 is the outcome of all the years that happened before.”
Acknowledging the crowd’s support for his opponent, Ben, Zverev added, “I know that today 99.9% of the people wanted Ben to win so I’m very sorry. Even though I know that the crowd was against me, the crowd was always incredibly fair and we as players we appreciate it.”
He held his nerve to take the third set 7-5 and send the final into a fourth. Zverev immediately broke Shelton’s serve at the start of the fourth set and then survived a 25-shot rally to strengthen his grip on the match. The German never relinquished the advantage, eventually closing out the contest 6-2.
The German made the perfect start, capitalising on Shelton’s nerves in his first Grand Slam final. Shelton double-faulted on break point in the opening game and Zverev held his advantage throughout the set, closing it out when the American committed another double fault. Zverev looked on course for a straight-sets victory after saving a break point with a stunning backhand winner in the sixth game of the third set. Shelton then slipped and crashed to the court, but the setback appeared to galvanise him. The American began finding greater depth and power from the baseline, eventually breaking Zverev for the first and only time in the match.
“You’re one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year,” Shelton told Zverev.