Elena Rybakina, Alexander Zverev serve up a storm at 2026 US Open

The greatest rivalries often feature appealing contrasts in playing styles and on-court personalities. The sporting public and even the masses can identify with and passionately favour one player over the other. Think of the fire-and-ice duelists Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, or Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. Recently, animated Carlos Alcaraz and stoic Jannik Sinner have treated sports fans to riveting matches with their beguiling contrasts.

The women’s rivalry du jour could join that elite club. Barely have two rival champions differed in demeanour as starkly as the tempestuous Aryna Sabalenka and the poker-faced Elena Rybakina. The two burning questions for the US Open finalists were: How would Sabalenka handle her emotions? And would Rybakina show any at all?

Unlike the previously cited duos — except for ‘Sincaraz’ — these tall and talented Eastern Europeans play the same way: all-out power tennis. Their credo is: do unto others before they do it to you. That means first-strike tennis: a booming first serve or a bounding or swerving second serve, followed by a thunderous forehand or backhand.

This century, the legendary Big Three of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer showcased their contrasting games and personas and captivated the sports world with three compelling, enduring rivalries and countless must-see matches. Without skipping a beat, the new Big Two ignited another Golden Era in 2024. But not since Serena Williams faced off against big sister Venus and undersized but dynamic Justine Henin challenged Serena in the opening decade of the century has a superstar rivalry turbocharged women’s tennis.

Before the final, the two had fired explosive salvos at each other in 17 matches, with the 28-year-old Belarusian clinging to a 10-7 edge over the 27-year-old Russian-born and -trained Rybakina, now representing Kazakhstan. This season, the rivalry heated up to a boil with four matches, all on hard courts. Sabalenka prevailed at Indian Wells and Miami for the Sunshine Double in March.

But Rybakina ruled where it mattered most — the Majors. Down 3-0 in the deciding set, she rampaged to a stunning 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory in the Australian Open final for her second Grand Slam title, nearly four years after winning Wimbledon. Months later, she has won her third.

History hunt: Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka was aiming to be the third woman in the Open era to achieve a three-peat at the US Open.  | Photo Credit: Reuters

This fortnight at Flushing Meadows doubled the delight for Rybakina, though she downplayed the significance of ending Sabalenka’s 99-week reign as No. 1. After the Kazakh overcame Olympic gold medallist Zheng Qinwen 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 in the quarterfinals to take the top spot for the first time, she said: “It’s a great achievement, and I feel like you will appreciate and think about it even more when you finish your career. Like now, you still need to keep on going.”

That she did, with her eyes on the ultimate prize. Once again, the resilient Rybakina had to come back to defeat Coco Gauff, the 2023 US Open champion, in a 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 semifinal. Then came the pièce de résistance: a convincing 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 triumph over Sabalenka for her third Grand Slam crown.

Entering this US Open, different women had won the last seven Majors, and the current top four — Sabalenka, Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff — all had a chance to end up No. 1 when the tournament ended. That both finalists surmounted exceedingly tough draws reinforced their new Big Two status.

Defending champion Sabalenka steamrolled over three opponents to start her bid for a rare US Open three-peat, achieved only by Chris Evert (1975–78) and Serena Williams (2012–14) in the Open Era. The supremely fit, 5ft 11in Belarusian had earlier chafed at a reporter’s intimation that she partied more than she trained. Ironically, her problem wasn’t physical but mental. “Sometimes when you want it that much, it prohibits you from hitting freely,” as ESPN tennis analyst Mary Joe Fernandez pointed out in the opening set of the final.

She faced her first challenge against the immensely gifted Taylor Townsend, who had three career wins over top-five players, including a stunning 7-5, 6-2 upset over Mirra Andreeva here last year. Townsend advanced to the fourth round this year with a 6-2, 6-3 rout of shock Roland Garros finalist Maja Chwalinska and a 6-2, 6-7 (3), 6-3 upset of 15th-seeded Diana Shnaider. Down a service break in the second set against Townsend, Sabalenka recovered for a 6-4, 6-3 win replete with brilliant shots. “What an incredible player she is,” said Sabalenka afterwards. “Approaching the net, what a great returner, moving well, very brave.” Townsend returned the compliment, calling Sabalenka “a really phenomenal player”. The left-handed American has emerged as a doubles star, partnering Katerina Siniakova to the US Open doubles title for her fourth Grand Slam crown. One wonders how much the 30-year-old Townsend, ranked No. 96, could have achieved in singles had she not been considerably overweight during her 11-year professional career.

Despite capturing the Wimbledon title, Linda Noskova wasn’t even mentioned by ESPN’s “experts” in their US Open prediction article. DK Sports further disrespected Noskova, excluding her from its top five picks on its betting odds list, even behind No. 13-ranked and past-her-prime Naomi Osaka.

Noskova faced a tough draw, though. After defeating an inspired No. 29 seed Ann Li 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-2 in the third round, she met much-improved Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk, a semifinalist at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The 21-year-old Czech needed five match points in the tension-packed final game to wrap up the hard-fought 7-5, 5-7, 6-4 victory. “Noskova is as tough mentally as anyone on the men’s or women’s tour,” said ESPN analyst and four-time US champion John McEnroe.

Sabalenka proved even tougher than Noskova in their blockbuster quarterfinal. Noskova staved off five championship points against Karolina Muchova in the Wimbledon final, won nine of her last 10 matches against top-20 opponents, ranked second only to Rybakina with 293 aces, and was 6-0 in three-set matches at the Majors. In her blockbuster quarterfinal against Linda Noskova, Sabalenka’s tie-break prowess trumped everything. She seized the first-set breaker 7-1. Noskova mixed up her shots and managed to absorb Sabalenka’s relentless power to take the second set 6-3. In the match tie-break, the Czech kept it close, belting a forehand winner to narrow Sabalenka’s lead to 8-7. But the Belarusian Basher hit an unreturnable serve and a nifty second-serve slice ace to close out the 7-6(1), 3-6, 7-6(7) victory, in the best women’s match of the tournament.

“Oh my God, guys. What a battle,” said the relieved Sabalenka, who won her 10th straight US Open tie-break and 23rd in her last 24 at Slams. “What an incredible player [Noskova] is. I’m speechless right now because I was pushing myself to the limit in this match, especially in the third set. I honestly thought that’s it, it’s over.”

Sabalenka conquered Jessica Pegula in the 2024 US Open final and 2025 semis and faced her again in the penultimate round. At age 32, the late-blooming American boasted a career-high No. 3 ranking and whipped the Belarusian on grass in Berlin in June. Inspired by superstar striker Ronaldo in her player box, Sabalenka played super tennis. She pounded 29 winners (against 12 for Pegula) and grabbed 14 of 19 points on Pegula’s weak second serve to overwhelm her otherwise solid but unspectacular foe 7-5, 6-2.

“I was super desperate,” Sabalenka said afterwards. Pegula’s assessment: “She played insane. That level was probably the highest I’ve seen from her, considering I don’t think I played badly at all. It’s a tough match-up for me. I’m not quite a Rybakina, where I can serve myself out of trouble, and I’m not quite a Coco that can rely on insane athleticism. I do think the way she played tonight she probably would have beaten 99 per cent of the people.” As it turned out, the other one per cent would dethrone Sabalenka two days later.

In the backseat: Jessica Pegula had no answer to Sabalenka’s power game and lost 7-5, 6-2 in their semifinal.  | Photo Credit: AP

The bottom half of the draw abounded with intriguing matches, none better than 14th-seeded Iva Jovic’s 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 thriller over 17th-seeded Alexandra Eala. After Eala upset defending champion Iga Swiatek at Wimbledon, Manny Pacquiao, the eight-division boxing champion from the Philippines, said: “We have a new hero.” Eala Mania exploded at home and around the world as her fan base burgeoned. When Eala won the Mubadala DC Open in July, Andy Roddick said: “They were selling out watch parties in arenas in Manila.”

Like two evenly matched, highly skilled, intensely focused middleweight boxers, they traded blows, with Eala pulling ahead 4-2 with points for 5-2 in the deciding set. The boisterous Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd loved every minute of it. Jovic boldly attacked the Filipina lefty’s vulnerable second serve, averaging only 76 mph, with blistering returns from five feet inside the baseline. The 18-year-old American wound up with 43 winners and only 27 errors. “Both players deserved to win. It was that high quality,” said ESPN analyst Mary Joe Fernandez. And that close. Jovic said: “It took losing my earrings, falling flat-out on the floor, cuts on my knees, mental breakdowns. It took literally everything.”

Former No. 1 Jim Courier was so impressed by their groundstroke exchanges that he proposed a rule change — allowing only one serve. That sounds preposterous, though the huge percentage of boring unreturned serves in the women’s and men’s finals are also hazardous to our sport’s health.

Madison Keys’ rollercoaster ride at Flushing Meadows took her to a super high when she escaped five match points in a 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (5) comeback over Hungary’s Anna Bondar. In the next round, Keys learned why tennis is sometimes called ‘the cruelest game’. She plummeted to a super low against Zheng Qinwen, choking away a 5-0 third-set lead and a match point. When the veteran American was broken for 6-5, she banged her racket several times on her head. After sadly succumbing 1-6, 7-6 (3), 7-5, a tearful Keys explained her collapse. “I just got really — I mean, got really scared, like I couldn’t swing. I don’t know. Tennis just feels really hard right now, so I feel like that kind of took over. I felt like I couldn’t play tennis anymore, and it just was ... It just felt like it was a much bigger deal than just playing a tennis match all of a sudden.”

Zheng’s resurgence also snared Iga Swiatek in a mild 7-5, 6-3 upset. The six-time Grand Slam champion, just 25, has surprisingly fallen from the elite after not advancing past the quarterfinals at the last five Majors.

The Polish speedster with a wicked forehand simply has no Plan B nor Plan C when her predictable, one-dimensional grinder game is off. She desperately needs the versatility that a reliable net game and finesse shots would provide. As Mary Joe Fernandez observed: “The best players win when they’re not playing at their best.”

Elbow surgery on July 19, 2025, derailed Zheng’s blossoming career that had peaked with an Olympic gold medal — “the most important title I’ll ever win” — and a No. 4 ranking. The Chinese star returned to competition too soon and lost early and often. “It’s taken a while to accept my ranking drop to 125,” she acknowledged. The humbled Zheng entered the US Open as the 14th seed in the qualifying event. Adding more net clearance increased the consistency of her booming forehand, which averaged 83 mph, faster than Carlos Alcaraz’s 80 mph.

“I know people had a lot of doubts about me,” Zheng said after defeating Swiatek. Zheng removed any lingering doubts that she was back after her close 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 quarterfinal loss to Rybakina. Hitting her spots on her serve and redirecting the Kazakh’s powerful groundstrokes, China’s best player since two-time Major champion Li Na should return to the top 10 next year. Zheng viewed the setback philosophically: “Losing a match is not just about tennis. It’s more about something within yourself.”

The quarterfinal pitting No. 4 Gauff and No. 5 Andreeva, the French Open champion, promised a lot but delivered little. The calibre of play was low throughout, as Gauff choked in the first half of the match, and Andreeva choked in the second half. Both displayed formidable backhands but far too many forehand errors and generally timid shots.

Gauff prevailed 2-6, 7-6(7), 6-2 mainly because she competed despite her frustration, while the petulant Andreeva looked like she’d rather be anywhere else. For the 12th time this season, Gauff rallied to win after losing the first set.

On how she found the inspiration to survive two match points in the do-or-die tie-break, Coco said: “It looked like Frances [Tiafoe] was down and out [against Alex Michelsen]. But sometimes you just need a chance, and I think I got my chances today. I mean, sometimes you just need a little bit of inspiration, and Frances was that for me in that moment. I was able to reset and somehow get out of that one.”

Great offence beats great defence these days, and nobody exemplifies that like Rybakina. She led the WTA Tour in aces and tied Sabalenka for No. 1 in service games won percentage, 81.5. The Kazakh’s impeccable technique generates power on every stroke, except the backhand volley, and she weathers crises with uncommon sang-froid.

Gauff has a big edge in speed and agility, competes tenaciously, and claims: “I haven’t been tired since I was 14.” She also knows how to use the fiercely pro-American crowd, especially when the going gets tough. Gauff was hot, riding an 11-match winning streak since losing to Rybakina in Toronto.

In the opening set of her semifinal against Rybakina, Gauff deployed three tactics: retreating 8 to 10 feet behind the baseline to return second serves, extending rallies, and quickly switching from defence to offence. The plan worked beautifully. She took the opener 6-3 with eight winners versus only seven unforced errors, compared with seven and 18 for Rybakina. The Kazakh countered by targeting the American’s vulnerable forehand and subtly changing pace and bounce heights to take the second set 6-4.

Gauff revived hopes for yet another comeback when, trailing 5-3 in the deciding set, she broke Rybakina’s mighty serve for 5-4, highlighted by a dazzling backhand passing shot that had the crowd roaring. But Rybakina broke right back with a stylish forehand volley winner followed by Gauff’s errant smash for a well-deserved 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 triumph. “Rybakina really is playing like the No. 1 player in the world,” concluded ESPN’s Fernandez.

Ultimate test: Despite her speed and agility, Coco Gauff couldn’t overcome the relentless Rybakina in the other semifinal.  | Photo Credit: Getty Images

‘Pressure is a privilege’ is the famous axiom coined by Billie Jean King. It appears on the commemorative plaque at the players’ walkway to Arthur Ashe Stadium at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Pressure inspires some athletes to perform at extraordinary levels. And pressure overwhelms other athletes who falter on the biggest stages.

Sabalenka falls into the latter category. All too often, she lost in three sets to seemingly lesser players and at the end of tournaments. At this US Open, she reached her eighth straight Grand Slam final on a hard court — a feat never achieved before by a man or woman. Overall, the finely tuned Belarusian has made nine Major finals, including the 2025 French Open. Yet she has won only four of these.

The emotional cauldron that is Sabalenka boiled over and exploded on occasion against Rybakina, who possesses a preternatural, Borg-like calmness. As Mary Joe Fernandez said at the start of their third set: “When you look at Rybakina, you don’t know if she’s winning or losing. With Sabalenka you do.”

When she whacked a ball into the crowd after double-faulting to gift Rybakina a 3-2 lead, the umpire gave her a warning. Sabalenka grunted, shrieked or screamed with every shot, and when she misfired, she gesticulated her displeasure, barked at her player box, or gave coaches Anton Dubrov, Max Mirnyi and Jason Stacy sarcastic thumbs-up. Serving at 3-4, 30-15, Sabalenka inexplicably didn’t run for Rybakina’s service return. The more consistent and serene Rybakina grabbed the opening set 6-4. Loss of emotional control didn’t cause this Sabalenka loss, however. The superior play of Rybakina, particularly her powerful and precise serving, did.

With Rybakina serving at 4-5 in the second set, Sabalenka earned two set points. The crowd roared to support Sabalenka. She failed to convert them, but two games later, she broke serve with a booming backhand service return to take the second set 7-5. Both players won 71 points. The protagonists had also split their 46 career sets at 23 apiece!

That parity would end in the lopsided deciding set. Rybakina broke serve for a 2-1 lead. Serving at 15-all in the next game, the Kazakh had her opponent scrambling and finished her off with a nifty backhand winner. Rybakina reacted with a rare fist pump. “This is about as much emotion as you’ll see from Rybakina,” observed ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe. “She really wants it.” A forehand volley winner produced another break for 5-2. And despite two double faults in the last game, Rybakina clinched her first US Open title with a 110-mph ace.

“This has become quite the rivalry,” said Mary Joe Fernandez.

The new Queen of Queens, New York, raised her arms and made a double-fisted salute to celebrate. “I’ve never seen Elena show so much emotion after winning anything,” all-time great Martina Navratilova told Sky Sports viewers.

The excited champion gave Sabalenka a quick hug and smiled as she embraced her team.

The distraught loser smashed her racket. “I just wanted to let all of that aggression and disappointment go outside [on the court],” Sabalenka explained. “It’s really tough to control your emotions when you lose in the final of the Grand Slam, and when you were trying to go for (a) three-peat, so I just wanted to let it go.”

In a short speech to the appreciative crowd, Rybakina thanked her team, her family back in Moscow, tournament organisers and the spectators. “I honestly was coming here for the last 10 years, and it was never successful — nothing close to that,” said Rybakina, who had never even made the quarterfinals before. “It’s just incredible. I’m falling in love with New York more and more.”

Sabalenka viewed her defeat as bittersweet because the crowd cheered for her in the third set, a far cry from three years ago when she lost to fan favourite Gauff in the final. “At some point I felt like, ‘Oh my God, I feel American,’” Sabalenka said. “I just wish I could win it and feel the support even more. Not this year.”

MEN”S 

“Three months ago, I was questioning whether I’d ever win a Grand Slam title, and now I have two,” a buoyant Alexander Zverev told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj after winning the US Open.

Little did it matter to the 29-year-old German that he didn’t face superstars Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz at either Roland Garros or Flushing Meadows. Or that Alcaraz defeated him in a five-set Australian Open semifinal and Sinner beat him in a four-set Wimbledon final. Or that Sinner had defeated him in their last 10 matches.

“When you only have two superstars, and they’re injured, other players have opportunities,” said Jim Courier, a Tennis Channel analyst and former world No. 1.

Riding the momentum: Alexander Zverev backed up his Roland Garros win this year with his second Grand Slam title this US Open. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

In early June, just before Zverev exorcised the ghosts of Major finals lost and shed the dreaded “best player never to win a Grand Slam” label, he had good reason to question whether he’d ever achieve his lifelong dream.

He had opportunities before and squandered them. His first and best chance to make tennis history came in the 2020 US Open final against Dominic Thiem. An excellent but hardly a great player, the veteran Austrian was also vying for his first Major title. Zverev won the first two sets and led 5-3 in the fifth set, with both warriors suffering from cramps. The more aggressive Thiem rallied to force a tie-break and pulled it out 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (6). “I don’t think it would be possible for Zverev to have a tougher loss in his career,” ESPN’s John McEnroe said at the time.

In the 2024 French Open final, Zverev blew a two-sets-to-one lead against Alcaraz, then a new phenom, and succumbed 3-6, 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. After this disaster, the downcast German admitted: “I didn’t know what the occasion meant. And that’s why I lost. I’m 27 years old now. So definitely not a kid anymore. Already getting older. If not now, then when?” Certainly not in the 2025 Australian Open final, when Sinner overwhelmed him 6-3, 7-6 (4), 6-3. “Today he completely outplayed me,” a discouraged Zverev said.

Fate was kinder to Zverev this season. At Roland Garros, three years after suffering a devastating ankle injury against Rafael Nadal, he faced no champions, Major finalists or even top-10 opponents. He needed five sets to conquer No. 14 Flavio Cobolli in the final. During the recent fortnight in New York, Zverev encountered no top-20 foes until No. 9 — but much-improved — Ben Shelton in the final.

Five big questions loomed in the men’s draw going into the last Slam of 2026. Could seven-time Major champion Carlos Alcaraz regain his elite form after being sidelined for four and a half months with a wrist injury? Was tennis GOAT Novak Djokovic — who played spectacularly to upset Jannik Sinner in an Australian Open five-set semifinal and No. 4 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, also in five sets — still a bona fide contender at 39? Would former US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, former semifinalists Ben Shelton or Frances Tiafoe, or perhaps No. 14 Learner Tien or No. 19 Tommy Paul become the first American man to win a long-awaited Major title since Andy Roddick in 2003? What about other young talents Arthur Fils, Joao Fonseca, Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, Alexander Blockx and Felix Auger-Aliassime?

And, of course, was Alexander Zverev just another ‘one-Slam wonder’ or a late-blooming champion like Stan Wawrinka?

The new-and-improved Zverev hit his forehand more aggressively than ever — Rafael Nadal advised him to be ‘braver’ — and moved faster thanks to a rigorous speed-work programme devised by renowned conditioning coach Jez Green. Even so, the 6ft 6in, broad-shouldered German barely survived the first two rounds. Lorenzo Sonego, a flashy but erratic Italian shot-maker ranked No. 89, was two points away from a huge upset deep in the fourth set before Zverev recovered for a 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-5, 6-4 victory. “Lots of ups and downs. This is exactly the match I needed,” Zverev said, perhaps prophetically.

The top seed was equally unimpressive against Quentin Halys, a Frenchman ranked No. 52, again barely surviving 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-7(3), 6-3 in another marathon that ended around 2 am. “He was super tentative and scared on his forehand,” noted Jim Courier. Sascha had already spent 9 hours and 26 minutes competing on court.

Not to worry, because Zverev was in the easier half of the draw, and the rest of the top 16 seeds, except for No. 14 Tien, were blown away by the third round. Karen Khachanov knocked out No. 3 Auger-Aliassime, Blockx overpowered No. 5 Cobolli, the hard-to-pronounce Botic van de Zandschulp straight-setted No. 6 Alex de Minaur, and Francisco Cerundolo outlasted No. 9 Fritz. Meanwhile, Zverev, back in the groove, took care of business in his quarter, outclassing No. 25 Alejandro Tabilo, No. 21 Luciano Darderi and van de Zandschulp, and surrendering only 10, 10 and eight games, respectively.

The real action took place in the bottom half of the draw, where all eyes were on Alcaraz. “I’ll look at the speed and spin rate of his forehand,” said Courier. Other experts were curious to see if his first serve had lost any of its 130-mph-plus zip.

Carlitos hit the hard courts running with a solid 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian journeyman Roman Safiullin, highlighted by a ferocious 107-mph forehand winner. Still wearing a compression sleeve on his right arm and a brown Nike basketball-style shirt, the defending champion found the right level of offence and patience to oust Portuguese standout Jaime Faria 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. Then the Charisma Kid engaged the cheering fans with his slingshot celebration.

After Alcaraz demolished lucky loser Wu Yibing, the first Chinese man to reach the third round at the US Open, 6-3, 6-4, 6-1 for his 17th Major win in a row, he assessed his comeback so far. “To be honest, I’m better than I thought [I’d be]. Right now, I think my level is really high.” It would need to be against top-notch athlete and dynamic volleyer Tommy Paul, who boasted two hard-court wins over Alcaraz at the Canadian Open.

Alcaraz had never lost to an American at a Major, and the streak continued as he took the action-packed fourth-round duel 6-4, 6-3, 6-4. Alcaraz does everything a little bit better than Paul, especially on the forehand wing, where he belted 17 winners. But newly married Paul had something else to celebrate, albeit briefly, in the third game. When Alcaraz’s super-angle forehand pushed him way outside the alley, Paul fashioned the shot of the tournament, a 100-mph forehand around the net post that landed just inside the sideline and baseline.

“Paul played pretty well, but Carlos was otherworldly,” said Roddick, an ESPN analyst.

Local hero: Ben Shelton came into the final in red hot form, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz and Frances Tiafoe in consecutive games.  | Photo Credit: AFP

Alcaraz’s quarter was filled with upset-minded contenders determined to dethrone him, none more dangerous than Shelton or more surprising than unseeded Stefanos Tsitsipas. Nicknamed ‘The Greek Freak’ during his halcyon days, when he made two Major finals and ranked No. 3, Tsitsipas has fallen on hard times. Taught technique by his Russian mother and coached by his Greek father, he was often hampered by their discordant arguments and conflicting advice from the player box. In addition, his antiquated one-handed backhand became increasingly exploited by booming kick serves and heavy topspin groundstrokes.

Nine years ago, Tsitsipas burst on to the scene by upsetting the legendary Federer, another exponent of the one-handed backhand, to make the Australian Open quarterfinals. Now 28 and ranked a lowly No. 88, he suddenly rediscovered that form to stun No. 10 Arthur Fils 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4 in the first round. A big server and a decisive volleyer, the 6ft 4in Tsitsipas proved that upset was no fluke by taking down No. 18 Jiri Lehecka 2-6, 6-1, 7-6(3), 6-1.

Shelton, who captured four titles on three different court surfaces this season, squelched Tsitsipas’ impressive but brief resurgence 6-2, 6-3, 6-4. Big Ben’s extreme serve-speed variance, from 147 to 86 mph, and a diabolical array of lefty slice and kick serves, with an average bounce apex of 6ft 1in, exposed the great weaknesses of the one-handed backhand. For the first time in 149 years, since the first Wimbledon Championships in 1877, no man with a one-handed backhand reached the semifinals at any Grand Slam event in a season. In several years this century, that has already happened in women’s professional tennis.

Those who mourn the near-extinction of the one-handed backhand and extol its elegance, especially those brandished by Federer and Justine Henin, should take comfort in these facts. Nearly all professional players using two-handed backhands also hit one-handed slice backhands during rallies, for approach shots and drop shots, and occasionally to return serve. So, it is the one-handed-only backhand player who is the greatly endangered species, not the one-handed backhand. Furthermore, many two-handed backhands — from Chris Evert to Djokovic to Amanda Anisimova — are also stylish. Lastly, technically flawed two-handed backhands, such as Shelton’s, also break down when pressured.

Although Shelton ranks No. 2 in serve-games-held percentage (89.9) on the ATP Tour, he ranks an abysmal No. 80 in percentage of return games won (14.4). That is why he practises his return of serve for 90 minutes every day.

That hard work paid off. Shelton was 0-3 against Alcaraz and had broken serve only twice in all those matches. In his 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(10-7) quarterfinal upset, ‘Big Ben’ broke the Spanish dynamo’s serve five times to become the first lefty and first American to defeat Alcaraz at a Major and end his 18-match winning streak at Majors.

The eagerly anticipated showdown started way too late at 11:10 pm, and for 4 hours and 28 minutes, the two consummate athletes mesmerised spectators with dazzling shots, sometimes three, four or even five during the same point. Rapid-fire net duels, acrobatic overheads, outrageous passing shots on the dead run, feathery drop volleys, topspin lob winners and seemingly impossible gets produced rousing ovations and alternating chants of “Let’s go, Carlos!” and “Let’s go, Ben!”

A 10-point match tie-break fittingly climaxed the late-night show. At 9-7, match point, the still-energetic Shelton leaped up and banged a 146-mph ace, and the valiant competitors received a prolonged standing ovation. Nearly all the spectators had stayed until 3:33 am., the latest US Open finish ever, also fittingly, in ‘the city that never sleeps’.

In a sporting gesture, Shelton and Alcaraz enjoyed a long embrace at the net, with the loser flashing a broad smile. “This was a war, an epic match,” said the ecstatic Shelton.

Alcaraz’s wrist held up during the gruelling marathon, but his conditioning didn’t in the fourth set, when he vomited twice. Though “a bit disappointed”, Carlitos praised Shelton and took several positives from the loss. “I’m just proud of myself about how I fought after the third set,” he said. “Physically, I was really tired, but I found a way to push myself up and physically give extra. The fifth set I started to feel better and better, but I was playing against someone who is a beast. He’s an unbelievable player, powerful, and he managed to play really well in every situation. I leave the court happy, with a smile, healthy.”

Shelton’s semifinal opponent, the extroverted Tiafoe, benefited from a relatively easy draw that opened further when Mariano Navone, a 25-year-old clay-court grinder from Argentina, upset Djokovic, one of his boyhood idols, 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 in a first-round shocker.

Djokovic fired three aces in the opening game and led 4-3 but was already struggling physically. Like an ageing boxing champion who had taken too many punches, Djokovic was a shadow of the giant that amassed a record 24 Grand Slam titles. He received a back rub following the fourth set, but after losing the first point of the deciding set, he bent over in pain and grimaced. Serving in the mid-90-mph range, he meekly succumbed.

Epic battle: Frances Tiafoe’s promising run ended in a thrilling four-set semifinal against fellow American Shelton.  | Photo Credit: AP

“An awful feeling on the court for me,” Djokovic told The Athletic afterwards. “It’s something that I’ve been carrying, unfortunately, pretty much every match this year. Vomiting, throwing up, a serious issue there. And then my whole body, you know, starts to collapse. Cramping, pain. The back just gave up in the end, and the shoulder, and I couldn’t close it out.”

As ESPN analyst and former No. 1 John McEnroe said: “It’s one of the most difficult nights of his life. But he’s had so many incredible moments. It doesn’t end the way you want it.”

In another first-round battle, Tiafoe barely survived against Martin Damm. The 6ft 8in American lefty, ranked a misleading No. 98, upset 2021 US Open champion Daniil Medvedev a week earlier. Against Tiafoe, he smacked huge serves and hit shots from inside his baseline more than 30 per cent of the time to rush opponents. The more experienced and versatile Tiafoe took his best punches and eventually prevailed 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.

‘Big Foe’ overcame another tough foe in the quarterfinals. Alex Michelsen, overshadowed by the bumper crop of talented newcomers like Fils, Fonseca and Tien at the 2024 Next Gen tournament, said: “I feel I’m not too far from them. I’m just one good week from catching up.” The 22-year-old Californian backed up those confident words with straight-set wins over 16th-seeded Brandon Nakashima and 27th-seeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Michelsen started hitting backhands off the garage door when he was three, and at age six told his tennis-playing parents: “If you want me to play lefty, I’ll quit tennis.” Fortunately, Alex didn’t and developed an exceptional backhand and a first serve so potent that 36 per cent of them weren’t returned in his previous four matches.

With the underdog-loving crowd firing him up, Michelsen had Tiafoe on the ropes. He served for the match at 7-5, 6-3, 5-3. And then, in the biggest game of his young career, he choked! Two double faults. Then two backhand errors. Just like that, the momentum switched completely. “It’s amazing how 10 days of clarity can become cloudy in 10 minutes,” said ESPN analyst Andy Roddick.

Tiafoe went on to a dramatic 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(10-6) victory. Seconds later, in the Open’s most poignant moment, the two warriors embraced at the net and Michelsen sobbed uncontrollably on Tiafoe’s shoulder. “I know how much it hurts,” Tiafoe told him. The heartbroken loser walked off the court with a towel covering his face. “He was a great guy for consoling me at that moment,” Michelsen said later.

Arthur Ashe, the first Black men’s champion at a Grand Slam event, the 1968 US Open, and the last Black finalist here in 1972, would have beamed with pride at the first all-Black men’s semifinal at a Major, especially an all-American one. In 1988, Ashe famously said, “Given the same chance others have had, blacks could dominate tennis in as little as 10 to 15 years just as they have dominated in other sports.” He never lived to see Serena and Venus Williams do exactly that, but Black men have fallen short of Ashe’s prediction.

With ‘9/11/01’ etched on the court, Arthur Ashe Stadium spectators observed a moment of silence to commemorate the victims of 9/11 on its 25th anniversary. With several Black sports superstars in attendance — including Serena, Jalen Brunson and Cade Cunningham — Tiafoe hoped to pull an upset, just as he did against Nadal to reach the first of three semifinals here in 2022.

After overhitting and committing 14 unforced errors to give away the opening set, 6-4, Shelton quickly regrouped to break at love for 2-0, finishing with a forehand return-of-serve winner. Capitalising on Tiafoe’s slow and inaccurate second serve was one key to Shelton’s predictable 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 triumph. The others were his improved backhand, superior first serve — 75 per cent, 20 aces and three double faults versus 57 per cent, three aces and two double faults for Tiafoe — and clutch play, converting five of 11 break points versus just two of seven for Tiafoe.

Tiafoe has said: “I’m not a big technique guy.” Big mistake. Improving his volley and second serve technique is key to reaching his potential.

“Shelton is coming into his own, big-time, here,” said John McEnroe. “He is in absolutely fantastic shape.”

Would that be enough to upset Zverev, who won all five of their previous matches? No man had ever defeated the defending champion and the No. 1 seed before in the Open Era.

Fight to the end: Surprise package Karen Khachanov pushed Zverev hard in a gruelling three-hour, three-set battle.  | Photo Credit: REUTERS

Furthermore, Zverev was undoubtedly playing the best tennis of his career, as his convincing 6-3, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (6) semifinal victory over Khachanov confirmed. He held serve 37 straight times until the 30-year-old Russian broke him in the second set. He hit forehands with more confidence and conviction than ever before. Once reluctant to come to the net, Sascha won 21 of 26 points there against Khachanov. It’s absurd to describe him as merely “fast for a big man” because he’s one of the fastest players on the Tour. And he said he was never happier on a tennis court than during Wimbledon two months ago.

Shelton declared: “I’ve reached a level of belief I didn’t have before,” but he started his first Major final nervously. He double-faulted into the net on break point in the first game and again in the seventh game to give the first set away, 6-3.

Although Shelton got into the match in the second set and forced a tie-break, he still had won just three points off Zverev’s seemingly impregnable serve. The German raced to a 5-0 lead in the breaker, sparked by unreturnable 139-mph and 147 (!) mph serves, and won it 7-2. Just as impressive, Sascha won 75 per cent of the points on long rallies (nine shots or more).

Big Ben raised the hopes of the partisan crowd when he broke serve to claim the third set 7-5, though Zverev choked, hitting an unforced forehand error and blowing an easy high forehand volley. Shelton smiled at his good fortune.

Zverev cleverly changed pace on break point to break serve in the opening game of the fourth set. It broke Shelton’s brief momentum and quietened the sell-out crowd. The German was so focused that, after breaking again for 5-2 and easily holding for 6-2 to clinch his second Grand Slam title, he walked back to get more balls, not realising the match was already over.

“Zverev played a phenomenal match,” said McEnroe. “This is the best version of Zverev we’ve ever seen.”

In his victory speech, Germany’s first US Open champion since Boris Becker in 1989 thanked his father, Alexander Zverev Sr., and his older brother, Mischa, for their tireless coaching. But his most touching words were reserved for his mother, Irina, a former professional player.

When Sascha was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age four, doctors told his parents the condition would greatly limit his sports and life. His mom rejected that. He recalled her saying: “‘If he wants to be a tennis player, he’ll be a tennis player. If he wants to do something else, he’ll do something else. But this illness will not define us.’ My mother is the most important and strongest person I know. It takes an unbelievably strong woman to do what she did.”

Published on Sep 25, 2026

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