When and Where to Watch
| Start time | 2 p.m. ET |
|---|---|
| TV | ABC |
| Court | Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows |
| Format | Best of five sets |
The Head-to-Head Is Lopsided
Zverev has won all five of their meetings and has taken 10 of the 11 sets they have played. The only set Shelton has won came in their first match, at Cincinnati in 2024. Zverev beat him in the Munich final last year 6-2, 6-4.
None of those five came at a major. This is their first meeting in a Grand Slam, and the first in a best-of-five format, which changes the calculation for a server as big as Shelton.
How They Got Here
Shelton beat Frances Tiafoe in four sets in the semifinal, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5, hitting 47 winners to Tiafoe’s 27. It is his first Grand Slam final. He dedicated the win to his late grandmother.
Zverev came through a three-hour semifinal against Karen Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6), trailing in both tiebreaks and saving set points in the third. It is his third consecutive Grand Slam final and his second at the US Open.
What Is at Stake
Shelton is the youngest American man in a US Open final since Andy Roddick in 2003, and a win would be the first by an American man at this tournament since Roddick won it that year. He rises to No. 4 in the rankings regardless of today’s result, up from No. 9.
Zverev arrives with the weight off his shoulders. He broke through at the French Open in June, beating Flavio Cobolli in five sets for his first major after losing his first three finals. He then lost the Wimbledon final to Jannik Sinner. This is his third straight Grand Slam final and his sixth overall, and a win would give him majors on two surfaces.
Related
Full preview · Last American man to win it · Prize money · ATP rankings
The Bottom Line
Shelton vs. Zverev, 2 p.m. ET on ABC. Zverev leads the head-to-head 5-0 but has never beaten Shelton over five sets, and has never won a major. Shelton is playing for the first American men’s title here in 23 years.