Zverev tops Shelton at US Open, extends American men title drought

NEW YORK – Alexander Zverev continued the misery for American men by extending a decades-long streak of not winning a Grand Slam, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 in the US Open final for his second major title this year.

A pro-Shelton contingent crowd of 24,000 at Arthur Ashe Stadium was left disappointed, as the drought since Andy Roddick's September 7, 2003 (Shelton was born nearly 11 months earlier) US Open victory over Juan Carlos Ferrero will now extend past the 8,407 days since the International Tennis Hall of Famer lifted the trophy at Louis Armstrong Stadium.

“We went 30 years without winning a Grand Slam title; now we won two in the span of three months," Zverev said, referring to Boris Becker, the last German male to win a major title with his 1996 Australian Open win. Becker was also the last German man to win a US Open (1989). “It was an incredible atmosphere to play in, even though the crowd was against me. You guys brought the energy and noise.”

Shelton was attempting to become the eighth American man to win the US Open and the first left-handed champion since Rafael Nadal.

Zverev turned it on…

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/