Atlanta native Ben Shelton falls to Alexander Zverev in U.S. Open final

NEW YORK - Alexander Zverev defeated Atlanta native Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 on Sunday to capture the U.S. Open men's singles title in New York. 

What we know:

The victory secured Zverev's second major championship of the year while prolonging the long Grand Slam title drought for American men. 

Top-seeded Alexander Zverev broke through early by capitalizing on double-faults from No. 8 seed Ben Shelton in the opening set. 

Zverev controlled the match with high-velocity serving, firing serves up to 147 mph in a nearly flawless second-set tiebreaker.

Shelton mounted a comeback attempt to take the third set 7-5, but Zverev answered by closing out the fourth set 6-2. 

The victory earned Zverev $5.5 million and improved his Grand Slam match record this year to 25-2.

Dig deeper:

American men have not won a Grand Slam singles title since Andy Roddick won the U.S. Open in 2003. 

Shelton was also attempting to become the first Black player to capture the men's crown in Flushing Meadows since Arthur Ashe in 1968.

Shelton reached the final after beating defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set match that ended at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in tournament history. 

Zverev previously lost the 2020 U.S. Open final after blowing a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem.

Zverev said before the match that he enjoyed playing in front of hostile crowds, using a deliberate style and high toss routines to navigate noise from the fans. 

Shelton dropped to 0-6 in his career head-to-head record against Zverev after taking just his second set overall against the top seed.

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed how high Shelton will move in the upcoming rankings following his run to his first major final. 

It remains unclear when the 23-year-old will play his next ATP tournament. 

SportsNews