QUEENS, N.Y. — Alexander Zverev won the 2026 U.S. Open on Sunday, giving the German tennis star his second major title of the year following his victory at Roland Garros in June.

Zverev, the current world No. 2, defeated Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y., thwarting the hopes of the New York crowd for the first major victory by an American man in 23 years. Shelton, the current world No. 9, upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals in a five-set thriller that became an instant U.S. Open classic, before taking down countryman Francis Tiafoe in the semifinals. Shelton was also the first Black American man to play in the tournament final since Arthur Ashe.

“I know 99% of the people wanted Ben to win, so I’m sorry,” Zverev told the New York crowd before lifting the trophy, “but it was an incredible atmosphere to play in.”

Zverev’s four-set victory on Sunday extends a marquee year for the 29-year-old, in which he has won the first two Slams of his career, while also making the finals at Wimbledon.

Zverev currently ranks ninth on Sportico’s 2026 list of the highest-paid tennis players, a comprehensive calculation of on-court prize money and off-court endorsements. Since the rankings were calculated for the year ended June 30, Zverev has earned $2.4 million (£1.8 million) for finishing runner-up at Wimbledon in July, plus the $5.5 million he takes home for the U.S. Open title.

In terms of prize money alone, Zverev’s U.S. Open win pushes him past Italy’s Jannik Sinner for highest earnings of any tennis player on the court in 2026, $14.72 million to $11.62 million, respectively.

Zverev, the current world No. 2, will retain his ranking on the ATP Tour while narrowing the gap between himself and top-ranked Sinner. The German earns 2000 points for his U.S. Open victory, while Sinner withdrew from this year’s final Slam tournament with an injury, and is set to lose the 1,300 points he won as a finalist in 2025.

Meanwhile, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan won the women’s U.S. Open title on Saturday, defeating two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. Rybakina takes home her second major title of the year, after winning January’s Australian Open, and is one Roland Garros title away from the career Grand Slam. By defeating Qinwen Zheng in the quarterfinals in Queens, Rybakina ascended to the world No. 1 on the women’s tour for the first time, overtaking Sabalenka.

Reflecting on Saturday about coming away with the trophy and the No. 1 ranking, Rybakina said she was at a loss for words to describe it. “It’s [been] an amazing journey, and hopefully I can continue stay at the top as long as possible,” she said.

Shelton, for his part, is set to jump to a career-high No. 4 ranking with his U.S. Open finish on Sunday, a peak that coincides with rising commercial interest in the top-ranked American. Tom Chapman, head of commercial at WME Sports which represents Shelton, told Sportico in an interview this spring that he anticipates Shelton signing new endorsements, particularly with luxury brands, as soon as next year.

“Ben is probably one of the people out there on the tour right now that moves the culture needle more than many other players, men or women,” Chapman said. “So I would be very surprised if in the next 12, 24 months or so, someone doesn’t come and work with Ben in a very creative way to kind of tap into his sense of style off the court.”

It remains to be seen if Zverev’s banner 2026 tennis season will boost his marketability. In recent years, he has been a controversial figure in tennis for facing domestic abuse allegations from two previous partners. Zverev has maintained his innocence of both accounts, while agreeing to a $218,000 settlement in 2024 with one of his ex-girlfriends in a German court.