Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 5-7, 6-2 to win the US Open on Sunday, expunging the memory of a bitter Flushing Meadows defeat with his second Grand Slam title.

However the final unfolds, both men have already changed their stories in 2026.

With the semi-final line-up having already ensured a Black American man would reach the final, Shelton's win made him the first to do so in New York since Arthur Ashe in 1972, and at any of the majors since MaliVai Washington at Wimbledon in 1996.

The big-hitting Shelton claimed his first career win over Alcaraz, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7), ending the Spaniard's hopes of retaining his title in his first tournament back after a four-month injury absence.

Ben Shelton's run to the U.S. Open quarter-finals dealt a blow to tennis traditionalists on Sunday after his win over Stefanos Tsitsipas left the men's draw without a one-handed backhand and ended a 149-year Grand Slam streak.

The all-action 22-year-old told reporters after battling past Lorenzo Sonego 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in the quarter-finals that he felt a lot of "negativity".