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Ben Shelton of the United States reacts against Frances Tiafoe of the United States during their Men’s Semifinal match on Day Thirteen of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 11, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. <\/p>\n
To say Ben Shelton has his back to the wall facing Alexander Zverev in Sunday\u2019s US Open final would be an understatement.<\/p>\n
Besides having a career 0-5 record against the German, Shelton is up against an opponent who thrives against southpaws. Remarkably, Zverev is 13-0 against left-handers at Grand Slams in the last four years, with his last loss coming against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros in 2022 when he was forced to retire due to a right ankle injury. Overall, Zverev is an astonishing 44-1 in his last 45 matches<\/a> against lefties, with his only loss coming against Learner Tien at Acapulco in Feb. 2025.<\/p>\n 13 \u2013 Alexander Zverev has won his past 13 Grand Slam matches against left-handers, with his last defeat coming via retirement against Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros (SF) in 2022. Watershed. It\u2019s surprising Zverev (-150) is only a slight favorite over Shelton (+125); oddsmakers are likely factoring in the partisan crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium.<\/p>\n Ben Shelton Faces Daunting Task<\/p>\n Shelton, though, is not lacking in confidence. Similarly, the American World No. 1 entered the quarterfinal against Carlos Alcaraz facing a 0-3 career deficit and his back against the wall, only to respond with an incredible five-set win.<\/p>\n He plans to overcome the odds again.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m ready to go. It\u2019s going to be a war on Sunday,\u201d Shelton<\/a> said ahead of his first career major final.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m going to leave it all on the court. Win or lose, obviously, I\u2019m going to be proud of myself and what I\u2019ve done, but this is the dream. This is what I\u2019m playing for now,\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s right in front of me, and I\u2019m definitely not going to take my foot off the gas. My team and I think about things long-term. We\u2019re not looking for instant gratification.<\/p>\n \u201cI know I still have so much further to go as a tennis player and to become the best version of myself, but it is right there, one more match, and, like I said, I\u2019ll leave everything on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n Ben Shelton Chases US Open History<\/p>\n Beyond facing a formidable opponent in Alexander Zverev, Shelton has another factor working against him: his girlfriend, soccer star Trinity Rodman, will miss the biggest match of his career due to an NWSL scheduling conflict.<\/p>\n Shelton remains uber-confident.<\/p>\n After his win against Frances Tiafoe in the semifinal, he urged the Athur Ashe crowd to \u201cbring it\u201d on Sunday and power him to his first career Grand Slam.<\/p>\n \u201cThe crowd will certainly be loud, backing me,\u201d he said in the lead up to the final.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York is such a cool sports city. There\u2019s such a great sports culture here, and I think there\u2019s a lot of American pride, so I\u2019ll definitely be looking to use that and play the best match that I can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Shelton is attempting to become the first American man to win a Grand Slam since Andy Roddick in 2003. The men\u2019s US Open final starts at 2 p.m. local time on Sunday. In 2024, Taylor Fritz sought to end a 20-year title drought for American men, but lost to Jannik Sinner in the Flushing Meadows final.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tSai Mohan<\/a> covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sportswriter with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit and more. More about Sai Mohan<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \t
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