Hopes were high that Shelton could end the drought after his epic five-set quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, and a come-from-behind win over compatriot Frances Tiafoe in the semi-finals.
But Zverev’s all-court excellence proved too much for Shelton, despite the support of a star-studded Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd trying to will the American to victory.
With their backing, Shelton surged in the third set, eliminating the errors that Zverev had ruthlessly exploited.
Serving to extend the set, Zverev fell behind 0-40. Shelton fired long on his first set point but on the second, Zverev’s forehand volley went wide. Shelton had his first break of the match and they were headed to a fourth set.
Zverev responded immediately, running Shelton ragged through a 24-shot rally until Shelton sailed a backhand wide to drop his serve in the opening game of the fourth set.
Even with a break in hand, Zverev was feeling the tension, from a determined Shelton and the hostile crowd.
At 30-30 in the fourth game, he received a time violation warning as he prepared to serve, but shook it off and won the game with a crisp crosscourt backhand that put him up 3-1.
He rolled home, lifting his arms in triumph after Shelton fired a serve return long on match point and finally receiving his own huge cheer from the crowd.