Who are the 2026 US Open men's singles finalists?
American Ben Shelton will take on No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev in the 2026 US Open men’s singles final on Sunday.
Every year, the American men come to the US Open and answer questions about the drought. Andy Roddick won the men’s singles titles in Flushing Meadows in 2003, and no U.S. man has replicated the feat since. There are extenuating circumstances—namely, a quintet of all-time and potential all-time greats in Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner that have hoarded major championships in unprecedented fashion. But still, the talk lingers: Who will be the first to break through, and when?
Sunday in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ben Shelton hopes to provide the answer when he takes on Alexander Zverev in the men’s singles final.
Shelton has been up to every challenge through six matches, growing in confidence and upping his level in every round, but Zverev is a stern test. The top seed exorcised his Grand Slam demons earlier this year by winning the French Open title to shed the dreaded label of best player never to have won a major, and he followed that up with a run to the Wimbledon final.
Moreover, Zverev is 5-0 lifetime against Shelton. But none of those came on a stage like this—the final Grand Slam match of the season, played on Shelton’s home turf before what will surely be a raucous and partisan crowd. It is a most fitting finish to a spectacular two weeks—with one man soon to become a first-time US Open men’s singles champion.
With that, let’s take a closer look at the two finalists, their paths to the title tilt and who has the edge in the 2026 Flushing finale:
Alexander Zverev
Seed/Rank: 1/2
Next Opponent: No. 8 seed Ben Shelton
Best US Open Result: F (2020)
Best Grand Slam Result: W (2026 French Open); F (2020, 2026 US Open; 2024 French Open; 2025 Australian Open; 2026 Wimbledon)
Sets Won/Lost: 18-4
Distance Run: 47,521 feet
Time Spent on Court: 19 hours, 38 minutes
Six years ago, in a court with no spectators (due to COVID), Zverev built a two-set lead on Dominic Thiem, only to see the title slip through his fingers in a fifth-set tiebreak. At the time, most thought it was a minor setback, the prelude to a deluge of Grand Slam titles to come. But tennis can be cruel, and for years Zverev kept searching for that major breakthrough, only to be denied time and time again. The elusive championship finally came this year, at Roland Garros, and now Zverev is on the cusp of a second Slam crown in three major tournaments, looking to put a capstone on his finest season as a professional at age 29.
It has been a tale of two US Opens for Zverev. He was nearly eliminated in both of his opening two rounds, needing five sets each to squeak past Lorenzo Sonego and Quentin Halys. Since then, he has rolled. The German has not dropped a set since his early-round stumbles and enters Sunday’s final against Shelton brimming with confidence, not just from his French Open title but also a run to the final at Wimbledon, traditionally his weakest major. The only knock on Zverev to this stage is his competition. He has yet to face a Top 20 seed and has yet to be pushed by an opponent who can equal his firepower on serve and off the ground. That’s exactly what he’ll face Sunday against Shelton, who will also have the benefit of the home crowd.
Still, Zverev enters the final as the favorite for a reason. He has a significant edge in experience—this is his sixth Grand Slam final, Shelton’s first—and has dominated the head-to-head matchups, winning 10 of the 11 sets the two men have contested. A victory in three more on Sunday and Zverev will earn his very first US Open men’s singles crown.
Ben Shelton
Seed/Rank: 8/9
Next Opponent: No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev
Previous Best US Open Result: SF (2023)
Best Grand Slam Result: F (2026 US Open), SF (2023 US Open, 2025 Australian Open)
Sets Won/Lost: 18-6
Distance Run: 54,091 feet
Time Spent on Court: 18 hours, 58 minutes
Coming off a title this summer in Montreal, Shelton entered the US Open as one of the pre-tournament favorites, if perhaps in a tier below his opponent in the final, Zverev, and defending champion Alcaraz, but his march to the final has been nonetheless eminently impressive. While Zverev advanced to the title match without facing a single Top 20 seed, Shelton had to face a murderer’s row to reach this stage: No. 2 seed Alcaraz; No. 11 Frances Tiafoe; former Top 10 standouts Hubert Hurkacz, Denis Shapovalov and Stefanos Tsitsipas; and former Top 25 player Tallon Griekspoor.
The big question is what kind of state that leaves Shelton in for the final. He has surrendered six sets through six matches, and while Zverev has cruised through his last two rounds, Shelton has required five sets to oust Alcaraz (in a match that finished at 3:33 am) and four to fell Tiafoe. Factor in potential fatigue and the enormity of the moment, and Shelton could be forgiven if he doesn’t have his ‘A’ game on Sunday. Still, the biggest moments and the biggest stages seem to bring out the best in the 23-year-old, and despite the grueling five-setter against Alcaraz, he looked strong throughout his semifinal victory over Tiafoe.
Shelton will have the crowd on his side for the championship match. That, plus a noticeably improved ground game—particularly on the backhand side—and arguably the best serve in the business, and you’d be foolish to think he has no chance. That elusive men’s singles title for an American man hasn’t felt this possible in years. By Sunday afternoon, we’ll know if Shelton is the one to finally snap the 23-year major drought.
