Home ahoho BEN SHELTON HAS BROKEN HIS SILENCE AFTER LOSING THE US OPEN FINAL TO ALEXANDER ZVEREV — SENDING ONE MESSAGE TO THE NEW CHAMPION AND ANOTHER TO HIS FANS THAT MAKES CLEAR HOW HE PLANS TO RESPOND TO THE DEFEAT. Shelton’s run in New York ended one step short of the trophy, but his first public reaction was anything but bitter. The American paid respect to Zverev after their four-set final before turning to the people who backed him throughout the tournament — and the final line of his message suggested the loss may have only sharpened his hunger for what comes next.

BEN SHELTON HAS BROKEN HIS SILENCE AFTER LOSING THE US OPEN FINAL TO ALEXANDER ZVEREV — SENDING ONE MESSAGE TO THE NEW CHAMPION AND ANOTHER TO HIS FANS THAT MAKES CLEAR HOW HE PLANS TO RESPOND TO THE DEFEAT. Shelton’s run in New York ended one step short of the trophy, but his first public reaction was anything but bitter. The American paid respect to Zverev after their four-set final before turning to the people who backed him throughout the tournament — and the final line of his message suggested the loss may have only sharpened his hunger for what comes next.

ahoho · 17/09/2026 · comments off
Ben Shelton shares message to fans and Alexander Zverev after US Open final loss
© USTA/X – Fair Use

Ben Shelton said he feels “more motivated than I’ve ever been” following his US Open final defeat and also took a moment to congratulate Alexander Zverev once again on securing the title in New York.

Shelton, who was beaten in the 2023 US Open semifinal and also had a semifinal outing at the 2025 Australian Open, made his Grand Slam breakthrough at Flushing Meadows by reaching his maiden major final. En route to the final, the 23-year-old upset defending champion Carlos Alcaraz by surviving a marathon five-setter in the quarterfinal.

Sadly for Shelton and also the local fans, he fell just short of getting his hands on the main prize after Zverev handed him a 6-3 7-6 (2) 5-7 6-2 loss.

Shelton: I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been

At the start of this week, the American took to Instagram to reflect on his US Open run and also confirmed that he was intending to represent his nation during this week’s Davis Cup action.

“Most fun two weeks of my life. I left absolutely everything out there on the court, and despite being gutted about losing yesterday, I’m more motivated than I’ve ever been. On my way to Prague to play for USA vs Czech this week. Let’s get a dub for the US,” Shelton wrote on Instagram.

Shelton congratulates Zverev on winning multiple Grand Slam titles in 2026

After losing his first three Grand Slam finals between 2020 and 2025, Zverev became a major champion by beating Flavio Cobolli in the French Open final. And now, after beating Shelton, the 29-year-old German has ensured that he will finish his career with multiple Grand Slam titles.

“Alexander Zverev, congrats on your 2nd Slam this year,” the American tennis star added in his Instagram post.

Meanwhile, Shelton rose to a new career-high ranking of No. 4 this Monday.

Ben SheltonAlexander ZverevUs Open

Add as preferred source on Google
SHARE

Vera Zvonareva shares story of how ‘little’ Alexander Zverev served as her ball boy

Zvonareva recalls the time she practiced with Mischa Zverev, while Alexander served as their ball boy.

Vera Zvonareva shares story of how 'little' Alexander Zverev served as her ball boy

SHARE

Vera Zvonareva shared an interesting anecdote during an appearance on a Russian tennis podcast as the former world No. 2 recalled how a little Alexander Zverev served as her practice ball boy.

Zvonareva, who turned 42 earlier this month, is still active on the WTA Tour. However, it is no secret that the Russian – who was one of the best players on the WTA Tour in the 2000s – is well past her prime.

Two decades ago, Zvonareva arrived very early in Indian Wells to prepare for the Sunshine Double. But since most of the players hadn’t yet arrived, it was hard for the Russian to find a practice partner. And since Mischa Zverev was there, the Russian decided to practice with the former German tennis player.

At the time, Mischa also brought Alexander with him to Indian Wells. Alexander was around 10 years old then. And while Zvonareva and Mischa practiced, Alexander was “running around” and picking up their balls.

Zvonareva: Mischa and I practiced for two and a half hours while Alexander was our ball boy

“I remember coming to Indian Wells, 2006 or ’07. I arrived five or six days in advance and there was no one to practice with. Only the Zverev brothers, Mischa and a little Sascha running around..Mischa and I practiced for about two and a half hours while Sascha was our ball boy,” the 11-time WTA champion recalled during her appearance on the First & Red podcast.

It likely happened in 2007

Zvonareva, who made her first two Indian Wells appearances in 2003 and 2004, didn’t play in the desert in 2005 and 2006. So the practice with the Zverev brothers likely took place in 2007.

That year, Zvonareva reached the Indian Wells quarterfinal before losing to Li Na.

As for Alexander Zverev, he has since become one of the best ATP players and now holds two Grand Slam titles after going all the way at this year’s French Open and US Open.

Related Posts

NOAH’S DAD WENT INTO THE NIGHT BELIEVING ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES NEAR THE PLAYGROUND HAD ALREADY BEEN CHECKED — HOURS LATER, THAT SAME AREA WOULD BECOME CENTRAL TO THE SEARCH. As hundreds of people desperately looked for three-year-old Noah, his father shared one piece of reassurance he had been given about the high-risk locations surrounding the park. Among them was a nearby pond. At that point, there was reason to believe those areas had been searched and posed no immediate concern. But by the following day, specialist teams were back at the water — and what happened next gave that earlier reassurance a devastating new meaning. 👇 SEE WHAT NOAH’S DAD HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT THE POND BEFORE THE SEARCH TOOK ITS HEARTBREAKING TURN.

ALEXANDER ZVEREV’S GIRLFRIEND SOPHIA THOMALLA DROPPED A FOUR-WORD FLEX MOMENTS AFTER HIS US OPEN WIN — AND HER VERY SHORT MESSAGE SAID PLENTY ABOUT THE YEAR HE’S HAVING. Sophia marked Zverev’s latest triumph with a simple social-media post that immediately stood out for how little she needed to say. Rather than a lengthy celebration, she paired his New York success with another huge achievement from earlier in the season — then summed up the whole thing in just four words.

HARRY AND MEGHAN’S SECURITY TEAM HAD ALREADY TESTED THE ROUTE TO ARCHIE AND LILIBET’S NEW SCHOOL — BUT EXPERTS SAY ONE CRUCIAL DETAIL MAY HAVE BEEN MISSED. The journey had reportedly been checked in advance as part of the family’s security planning before the children started classes. Yet when the first real school run arrived, the carefully prepared operation quickly ran into trouble — creating a situation the protection team had been trying to avoid. Archie and Lilibet were moved from the school just two days later, and the episode has left security experts questioning how the advance planning failed to account for what happened next.

💔 A CHILD’S BODY WAS FOUND JUST 0.2 MILES FROM THE PLAYGROUND WHERE NOAH, 3, VANISHED. For more than a day, police, specialist divers, emergency crews and around 1,300 members of the public searched desperately across Brantham for the little boy. Noah’s last confirmed sighting had been captured on CCTV at the playground shortly before he disappeared — a brief image that became the focus of an enormous community effort. Then, on Wednesday afternoon, dive teams made the discovery everyone had been praying would never come. Formal identification has not yet taken place, but Noah’s family has been informed.

mai plinh