Zverev beats Shelton to win U.S. Open and extend a drought by American men

Zverev beats Shelton to win U.S. Open and extend a drought by American men BRIAN MAHONEY NEW YORK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS PUBLISHED 54 MINUTES AGO Open this photo in gallery: Alexander Zverev, of Germany, returns the ball to Ben Shelton, of the United States, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open on Sunday in New York. ADAM HUNGER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COMMENTS SHARE SAVE FOR LATER Listen to this article Learn more about audio Log in or create a free account to listen to this article. Alexander Zverev’s best year in tennis goes on, and so does that lengthy Grand Slam drought for American men. Zverev won his second major championship and disappointed a crowd that was desperate to see the first Grand Slam title by an American man since 2003, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday in the U.S. Open final. Zverev finally broke through in the majors by winning this year’s French Open and followed up by adding the title in New York that he so painfully let slip away in 2020. The No. 1 seed in a Grand Slam for the first time, he capitalized on Shelton’s shaky start in his first major final, played a nearly flawless tiebreaker on serve and then turned back Shelton’s comeback attempt in front of a crowd that steadfastly cheered him on. Shelton was trying to win the first title by an American man since Andy Roddick won in Flushing Meadows in 2003, as well as become the first Black player to win the men’s crown since Arthur Ashe in 1968. But Zverev was too good in majors this year and apparently didn’t even know how good he was. He finished the match on his serve but didn’t seem to realize it, dropping back behind the baseline as if set to return. Only a few moments later did he figure out he had won, raising his arms in celebration. Zverev improved to 25-2 in major matches this year and won US$5.5-million, matching the prize earned by women’s champion Elena Rybakina on Saturday as the largest in Grand Slam history. He thought this title would come in 2020 and still acknowledges it should have. He won the first two sets against Dominic Thiem and got within two points of victory before becoming the first man to blow a two-set lead and lose in the final since 1949. Whatever ghosts were left from then are long gone now. Open this photo in gallery: Ben Shelton reacts after losing the men's singles final to Alexander Zverev at the U.S. Open on Sunday in New York. ANGELA WEISS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES Zverev also reached the final at…