US Open: The weight of great expectations

Ben Shelton became the latest American man to come close to winning his home tennis major tournament last week, losing the US Open final in four sets to German player Alexander Zverev.

Shelton, the eighth seed, had been considered one of the top picks to go all the way, taking advantage of an open draw in the absence of Jannik Sinner through injury and with Novak Djokovic’s chances having diminished somewhat this year.

2026 had already presented opportunities for new champions to make their mark, with Zverev himself having finally won a grand slam title in Paris in June. Given the opportunity in the draw, many thought Shelton might finally end the US’s 23-year wait for a man to win the title, stretching back to Andy Roddick’s win over Juan Carlos Ferrero in 2003.