The 2026 US Open final failed to ignite as a sporting spectacle, leaving Tallon Griekspoor unimpressed as he described the Alexander Zverev-Ben Shelton clash as “pretty mediocre”.
Top seed Zverev won his second Grand Slam in the space of three months as he followed up his Roland Garros title with the US Open crown, defeating first-time major finalist Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in the showpiece match at Flushing Meadows.
But world No 55 Griekspoor, who was beaten in the first round of the season-ending Grand Slam by Shelton, says the match lacked excitement and suspense as the American was clearly nervous playing in such a big final for the first time in his career while Zverev “wasn’t exceptional”.
“I thought the match was pretty mediocre,” he told De Telegraaf. “Shelton was very inconsistent and gave away two or three free points every game. You can see what a first Slam final can do to a player.
“Zverev wasn’t exceptional, but he served really well. The second-set tiebreak was crucial.”
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The pre-match and post-match talk has focused on Zverev’s serving routine as the world No 2 has come under fire for bouncing the ball too many times.
Before the final, an ESPN graphic showed he had bounced the ball nearly 13,000 times in six matches and even Shelton criticised the routine after the match.
Dutchman Griekspoor made it clear that he is not a fan of the two-time Grand Slam winner’s ball-bouncing antics as he added: “There were other sports going on and I just find it difficult to watch Zverev.
“Especially at this tournament, where he bounced the ball 400 times before every serve. It was extreme, but apparently it helped him. Maybe I should do it too.”
Shelton beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets in the quarter-final and then saw off fellow American Frances Tiafoe in four sets in the semi-final.
The US Open was Alcaraz’s first tournament since April as he had been sidelined for four months with a wrist injury, and the Spaniard also didn’t impress Griekspoor with his post-match reaction following his defeat at the hands of Shelton.
“Alcaraz should have beaten him in the quarter-finals, but he played a nightmare fifth-set tiebreak,” the 30-year-old said.
“Then he walked off the court smiling. That made me feel like his expectations were different. He hadn’t arrived at the tournament at his best, so I think he and his team were already satisfied.”
