Alexander Zverev will end 2026 with the most Grand Slam titles as he lifted his first US Open title at Flushing Meadows with a four set win over Ben Shelton.

The German won his first major title at the French Open in June and he added a victory in New York to his record with a convincing win against American hero Shelton in front of a crowd firmly behind the Flordia-born player.

Most of the fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium were hoping to see the first American male win the US Open for the first time since Andy Roddick’s win back in 2003, but Zverev continued his dominant run against Shelton as he extended his winning record against his fellow big-server to an imposing 6-0.

Zverev’z 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 defeat of Shelton cemented his status as one of the game’s all-time greats as he joined the list of multiple Grand Slam champions and he also collected the biggest prize cheque in the history of men’s tennis.

Jannik Sinner won a mega $6.5m when he won the Six Kings Slam exhibition event in Saudi Arabia last year, but the $5.5 million Zverev earned from his US Open win was the largest prize money haul handed out in a competitive tournament.

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The US Open has increased its total prize pool by 20% for 2026, with $108 million up for grabs across all competitions and that was significant for the players who reached the back end of the singles events.

Elena Rybakina collected $5.5 million after her win against Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s final on Saturday and now Zverev has also won that same amount as he held his nerve to lift the trophy.

Shelton will be desperately disappointed by his failure to take advantage of some nerves from Zverev, but he will take jome prize money of $2.8 million.

That runners-up prize money in 2026 is more than the $2.5million Emma Raducanu won when she lifted the US Open title just five years ago, with the huge increases in cash for the players showing no sign of slowing down after they made appeals to be handed a bigger slice of the revenue generated by the four biggest tournaments in tennis.

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Zverev’s moment of glory also earned him 2,000 ATP Ranking points, but he is still 1,810 behind Jannik Sinner in the race to be world No 1.

Shelton will rise to a career-high No 4 in the rankings on Monday and he has cemented his position as American No 1 after his fine run at the US Open.

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