Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton will contest the US Open men's final on Sunday evening in Italy, a matchup that pits Germany's world number two against an American newcomer riding a wave of home-crowd momentum—despite a lopsided head-to-head record that overwhelmingly favors the German.
Why This Matters
• When to watch: The final airs live in Italy on Sunday, 13 September at 20:00 CEST on Amazon Prime Video and Sky Sport.
• Historic context: It marks Shelton's first Grand Slam final and his first-ever meeting with Zverev at a major tournament.
• Women's showdown: Aryna Sabalenka faces Elena Rybakina earlier on Saturday in a battle of current and former world number ones.
A Tale of Two Paths to the Final
Zverev's route to Sunday's championship match has been clinical. The 29-year-old German dispatched Russia's Karen Khachanov in straight sets—6-3, 7-6, 7-6—on an Arthur Ashe Stadium court stripped of corporate logos in solemn observance of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Only the stark inscription "9/11/01" marked the playing surface, a reminder that sport, even at its highest level, sometimes yields to memory.
Shelton's journey required more perseverance. The 23-year-old American navigated a four-set battle against compatriot Frances Tiafoe, winning 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 in what was less a tennis match than a referendum on the future of American men's tennis. The all-US semifinal drew raucous support from the New York crowd, with Shelton eventually silencing the gallery's divided loyalties with his explosive left-handed serve.
The Head-to-Head Reality Check
For all the narrative appeal of Shelton's breakthrough, the statistical backdrop offers the American little comfort. Zverev has won all five previous encounters between the two, dropping just a single set across those matches. Their most recent meeting came at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turino last November, where Zverev prevailed 6-3, 7-6.
Shelton's lone set victory came in their inaugural matchup at the 2024 Cincinnati Open. Since then, Zverev has reeled off ten consecutive sets against the American. The German's dominance spans all surfaces—he leads 3-0 on hard courts, 1-0 on clay, and 1-0 on grass.
What Sunday's final does provide is their first Grand Slam meeting. Five-set matches have an unrivaled capacity for narrative reversals, and Shelton's powerful serve—among the fastest on tour—could keep him competitive even if history suggests otherwise.
What This Means for Italian Tennis Fans
For viewers in Italy, the scheduling presents a prime-time spectacle. The 14:00 Eastern Daylight Time start in New York translates to 20:00 CEST, making it the latest a Grand Slam final has aired in Italian prime time since the Australian Open last January.
Italian broadcaster Sky Sport will carry live coverage, with streaming available through Amazon Prime Video. Eurosport will also provide analysis through its digital platform. Given the six-hour time difference, the match should conclude around 22:30-23:00 local time, barring an extended fifth set.
The women's final on Saturday at roughly the same time features a generational clash: Sabalenka, the Belarusian seeking her third consecutive US Open title, against Rybakina, the Moscow-born Kazakh who will officially claim the world number one ranking on Monday regardless of Saturday's outcome. Their Australian Open final earlier this year went three sets; Rybakina's semifinal comeback against home favorite Coco Gauff—3-6, 6-4, 6-4—demonstrated she is hardened to hostile environments and high-stakes tennis.
The Stakes Beyond the Trophy
For Zverev, Sunday represents unfinished business. The German has reached Grand Slam finals before—most memorably at the 2020 US Open, where he squandered a two-set lead against Dominic Thiem in a fifth-set tiebreak. Victory would cement his return to the sport's upper echelon after injuries and personal turmoil threatened to derail his trajectory at various points in recent years.
For Shelton, the match is about arrival. The son of former ATP player Bryan Shelton, Ben turned professional in 2022 and has rapidly ascended the rankings with a game built around left-handed deception and brute power. A victory on Sunday would mark the first time an American man has won the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003—a drought spanning nearly a quarter-century.
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has not hosted an American men's champion in 23 years. Whether Shelton can overcome both the weight of that history and the more immediate weight of Zverev's dominance will be decided over what promises to be a compelling—if unpredictable—Sunday evening in Italy.
