In the men\u2019s final Sunday, No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev deflated Ben Shelton and the New York City crowd<\/a> by winning his first U.S. Open title. The 29-year-old German staved off a budding comeback from the 23-year-old American to win 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 and claim the second major title of his career \u2014 and of 2026.<\/p>\n Here, Ava Wallace, Matt Futterman and James Hansen present their takeaways from the final Grand Slam of 2026, from the best matches and biggest upsets to their abiding memories.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to follow our fantastic tennis coverage, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n How Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton made tennis history<\/p>\n Ava Wallace and Johnny Sweet<\/p>\n Best match?<\/p>\n Ava Wallace: Watching Alex Eala and Iva Jovi\u0107<\/a> light up Arthur Ashe Stadium in the third round felt special. Jovi\u0107, 18, of the U.S. defeated the Philippines\u2019 Eala, 21, in three sets, but the outcome was not what mattered. <\/p>\n The tennis was captivating, the atmosphere was exciting, but beyond that, it felt like a match that could only happen the way it happened at this exact moment in both of these rising young stars\u2019 careers.<\/p>\n Matt Futterman: Ben Shelton vs. Carlos Alcaraz<\/a> in the quarterfinals. A 3:33 a.m. finish<\/a>, in which rackets and balls and deuces and commercials were mere details in the roars and cheers and can-you-top-this? feats of artistry.<\/p>\n James Hansen: Naomi Osaka vs. Elise Mertens in the third round of the women\u2019s draw. In the men\u2019s, it\u2019s probably Shelton vs. Alcaraz, but a special mention to the epic between American wild card Sebastian Gorzny and Belgium\u2019s Rapha\u00ebl Collignon in the first round on Court 11.<\/p>\n Favorite match?<\/p>\n Wallace: Frances Tiafoe\u2019s fourth-round barnstormer against Daniil Medvedev was so joyful. There were so many highlight-reel points, and Louis Armstrong Stadium was the perfect court for it. Medvedev was understandably unhappy after, but it was a fabulous showing of what Tiafoe\u2019s game looks like when he\u2019s really firing. I wish more players came to the net as often (and as confidently) as he does.<\/p>\n Futterman: Shelton vs. Tiafoe in the semifinals. A match that was part of a much larger arc of history in American sports, which both players felt in the best kind of way.<\/p>\n Hansen: For sheer drama, s\u2013\u2013\u2013housery, whinging, underarm serving and so nearly a stunning recovery from oblivion, the one France\u2019s T\u00e9rence Atmane played during a cramp-stricken first-round defeat against Jaume Munar of Spain<\/a>.<\/p>\n Favorite quote?<\/p>\n Wallace: \u201cYou forget, I am also crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n That was Italy\u2019s Flavio Cobolli, giving an earnest response to the on-court interviewer calling him \u201cenergetic and dynamic\u201d after his first-round, five-set win over Francisco Comesa\u00f1a of Argentina.<\/p>\n Futterman: \u201cHe suffocates you with his movement.\u201d<\/p>\n Tommy Paul on Alcaraz in a news conference after losing to him in the fourth round.<\/p>\n Hansen: \u201cMy dad came up. He was, like, \u2018You accomplished so many great things this summer\u2019. I was, like, \u2018I don\u2019t care about the summer\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Coco Gauff, encapsulating the tennis player\u2019s existence after semifinal defeat to Rybakina.<\/p>\n Best moment?<\/p>\n Wallace: One of the best moments of the year, not just this tournament: Tiafoe jogging over from the other side of the court to bear-hug a sobbing Alex Michelsen, after coming from two sets down to break his heart in their quarterfinal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Futterman: Tiafoe\u2019s volleys on Louis Armstrong to save set points in the third-set tiebreak against Medvedev. No one holds a shot and a crowd the way Tiafoe does at the U.S. Open:<\/p>\n Hansen: The end of Emma Navarro\u2019s win over Lo\u00efs Boisson in the first round. As Navarro smiled and acclaimed the crowd, Boisson smashed her racket on the court directly behind her<\/a>.<\/p>\n Worst moment?<\/p>\n Wallace: The dawning realization that the U.S. Tennis Association was, in fact, going to let Venus Williams and Sofia Kenin walk onto court after midnight<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Futterman: Alexander Zverev bouncing a tennis ball between serves.<\/p>\n Hansen: Every time a new U.S. Open fan discourse landed in the stadium. The U.S. Open has been raucous, busy and full of people taking photos for years. But the ticket resale prices<\/a> were a real low and they are badly in need of tournament regulation.<\/p>\n Best player not to reach the quarterfinals?<\/p>\n Wallace: Iga \u015awi\u0105tek. I thought she had a chance to win this thing a month ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/1789377022_930_Untitled-ezgif.com-optimize-1-1.gif\")
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\ud83c\udfc6\u00a0The winners of the week<\/p>\n