Getty Images - Garrett Ellwood, USTA

The 2026 US Open delivered a dramatic finale to the Grand Slam season, with Alexander Zverev finally conquering Flushing Meadows to claim his second major title of the year, while Elena Rybakina continued her breakthrough season by lifting the women’s singles trophy. For British fans, there was further reason to celebrate as Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid added more silverware to their remarkable Grand Slam records.

Zverev left New York with one of the biggest prizes in tennis, and another chapter added to his remarkable 2026 season.

The German top seed defeated American eighth seed, Ben Shelton, 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 in the men’s singles final to claim his maiden US Open title and second Grand Slam championship of the year, following his breakthrough French Open victory earlier in the season.

For Zverev, the victory was particularly significant given his previous struggles in Grand Slam finals. Having finished runner-up at the 2020 US Open, as well as at three other major finals, the 29-year-old finally converted his opportunity on the biggest stage in New York.

His victory also made him the first German man to win the US Open since Boris Becker in 1989.

Meanwhile, Shelton provided one of the tournament's defining stories. Playing in his first Grand Slam final, the 23-year-old became the first Black American man to reach a US Open singles final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. Backed by a passionate Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd, Shelton pushed Zverev through four sets but ultimately could not match the German's consistency and big-match experience.

His run to the final included one of the tournament's most memorable matches: a four-hour, 28-minute quarter-final victory over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz that finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in US Open history. Shelton recovered from losing the opening set to defeat the Spaniard in a fifth-set tie-break, ending Alcaraz's 18-match Grand Slam winning streak.

With Jannik Sinner absent through injury and Alcaraz unable to defend his title, the men's draw opened the door for a new champion — and Zverev emerged to finish his 2026 season on a high.

The women's tournament produced an equally significant changing of the guard.

Rybakina defeated two-time defending champion, Aryna Sabalenka, 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to win her first US Open title and third Grand Slam crown. The victory also secured Rybakina the world No. 1 ranking, ending Sabalenka's 99-week reign at the top.

Rybakina's triumph was particularly impressive given the uncertainty surrounding her participation. The 27-year-old had suffered an Achilles injury in Cincinnati just weeks before the tournament and had gone a week without hitting a ball during her recovery. She nevertheless arrived in New York and produced some of her best tennis of the season.

The final was a rematch of the Australian Open championship match earlier this year, which Rybakina also won. This time, she had the added task of preventing Sabalenka from becoming the first woman since Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open titles.

For British tennis, some of the biggest celebrations came in the wheelchair events.

Alfie Hewett produced one of the standout performances of the tournament, defeating world No. 1, Tokito Oda, 6-0, 7-6(5) to win the men's wheelchair singles title. The victory marked Hewett's fifth US Open singles crown and his 11th Grand Slam singles title.

It was also a particularly significant victory given Hewett's recent rivalry with Oda. The Japanese star had beaten Hewett in both the Roland-Garros and Wimbledon finals earlier this year.

Hewett then teamed up with fellow Brit Gordon Reid to claim the men's wheelchair doubles title. The British pair came from a set down to defeat Martin de la Puente and Ruben Spaargaren 2-6, 6-3, [10-7], securing their sixth US Open doubles title together.

The result added another chapter to one of the most successful partnerships in wheelchair tennis. For Reid, it also marked his 30th career Grand Slam doubles title.

British success extended into the men's doubles as well, with Neal Skupski partnering American Christian Harrison to defeat Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz, 6-4, 7-6(6). The title was Skupski's third Grand Slam men's doubles crown and his second of the 2026 season.