American Tennis Star Falls Short But Shows Nation What We’ve Been Missing

Liberty Check

• Ben Shelton fought his way to his first Grand Slam final, proving American men’s tennis has a legitimate star in the making
• While Zverev won the U.S. Open, Shelton’s unapologetic patriotism and open Christian faith gave Americans a champion worth rallying behind
• ESPN predictably tried to make this about race, but Shelton refused to play their divisive game—choosing instead to honor God, country, and family

Let’s be clear: This one stings.

Ben Shelton had the golden opportunity to end a 23-year Grand Slam drought for American men’s tennis on Sunday afternoon in New York.

Instead, Alexander Zverev beat him 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 to capture the U.S. Open title and his second Grand Slam championship of the year. American men’s tennis missed another chance, but something far more important happened over these two weeks.

Shelton gave America a tennis star worth rooting for—and that matters more than the liberal sports media wants to admit.

Making his first career Grand Slam final appearance, Shelton looked nervous from the opening serve. The first game told the story.

He committed two errors to give Zverev an immediate break point, then double-faulted to hand over the break in the match’s first game. Shelton double-faulted again on set point to drop the opening set, 6-3.

The second set played out evenly until the tiebreak, where Shelton’s game fell apart. Zverev raced to a 5-0 lead and closed it out 7-2.

What made this match so frustrating was that Zverev wasn’t dominating Shelton. The American kept getting into winnable points on Zverev’s serve, only to miss a forehand, dump a backhand into the net, or choose the wrong shot at the wrong moment.

For most of the match, Shelton looked like the more gifted player.

His power, athleticism, and creativity are electrifying to watch. The 23-year-old produced most of the shots that made the crowd gasp, and his serve regularly crossed 140 mph.

But inconsistency killed his chances. Zverev didn’t need to be spectacular—he served well, kept the ball in play, and waited for Shelton to crack.

Steady isn’t exciting, but it wins Grand Slam finals when your opponent keeps giving away points. And Zverev’s French Open victory earlier this summer gave him a crucial experience edge that showed throughout the match.

Still, Shelton refused to quit.

He finally earned his first break point with Zverev serving at 2-3 in the third set, but the German erased it. Shelton kept holding, waited for another chance, and pounced with Zverev serving at 5-6.

He jumped ahead 0-40 and converted his second set point when Zverev missed a routine volley. Shelton had life.

Then he immediately put himself in trouble again. Leading 30-0 in his opening service game of the fourth set, a double fault and another forehand error opened the door.

He saved one break point with a gutsy serve-and-volley play, but Zverev eventually broke and never gave it back. That was essentially the match.

Zverev broke Shelton again at 4-2 before serving out the championship. There was an odd moment at the very end—Zverev didn’t realize he had just won the U.S. Open.

After a Shelton return went long, Zverev appeared ready to serve again before realizing the match was over and he was the champion. A huge smile crept over his face as he threw his arms in the air.

On the other side, a clearly frustrated Ben Shelton appeared to be holding back his emotions as he went to shake his opponent’s hand. This was the opportunity.

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew prior to the tournament because of a knee injury. Novak Djokovic lost in the first round.

Shelton stunned defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 in the morning. The three biggest obstacles were gone, and Shelton was responsible for eliminating one of them.

Zverev was hardly an easy opponent. He won the French Open in June, reached the Wimbledon final, and entered Sunday having beaten Shelton in all five of their previous meetings.

Now the 29-year-old owns two major championships. Over the past 30 years, only seven other men have won multiple Grand Slam titles in the same calendar year: Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Sinner.

That’s elite company.

Zverev’s off-the-court legacy remains complicated. He has faced domestic abuse allegations from two former partners, both of which he has denied.

The ATP closed an investigation into one set of allegations in 2023 after finding insufficient evidence, and a German court closed a separate case in 2024 after a settlement with no finding or admission of guilt. On the court, there’s no debate—Zverev can handle the final Sunday of a major.

He proved it in Paris and did it again in New York.

But this was still a winnable final for Shelton. Since Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open, American men have gone 0-for-7 in Grand Slam finals.

Roddick accounted for four of those losses, while Andre Agassi, Taylor Fritz, and now Shelton each fell once. American men’s tennis couldn’t have asked for a clearer path to ending the drought.

It still couldn’t finish the job and, because of that, it’s a disappointment. Of course, ESPN immediately tried to turn Shelton’s run into a story about race.

“It’s more than just Ben Shelton’s first U.S. Open Final,” the network posted after his semifinal victory.

ESPN then noted that Shelton was the first Black American man to reach the U.S. Open final since Arthur Ashe in 1972. That’s historically accurate.

But here’s what the woke sports media refuses to understand: Shelton never made this run about his skin color. The media wanted to put him in that box, and he didn’t follow them there.

He’s an American. That’s what mattered.

Shelton has consistently used his platform to talk about his Christian faith, his family, and his country. After winning in Australia earlier this year, he signed a television camera with the message, “USA ’til it’s backwards.”

After beating Alcaraz in the biggest victory of his career, Shelton immediately pointed to his faith.

“I’m just so grateful, so blessed. God’s blessed me in so many ways,” Shelton said.

He made a similar point after winning in Montreal earlier this summer.

“I would be nowhere without my faith. That’s what’s most important to me.”

Then came Friday’s semifinal against Frances Tiafoe, played on the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Shelton spoke about the sacrifices his parents made and dedicated the victory to his late grandmother.

He asked the New York crowd to return for the final because, as he put it, “We’re going for it here.”

“Do this for the USA,” Shelton said.

Before leaving the court, completely unprompted, Shelton offered his thoughts and prayers to the families affected by 9/11 and called New York one of the greatest cities in the world. That’s the guy America has watched for the past two weeks.

He’s powerful, emotional, and wildly entertaining. He also loves his family, talks openly about God, and treats representing the United States as an honor, not a burden.

Now, let’s not pretend losing a Grand Slam final is the same as winning one—because it isn’t. Ben Shelton will be the first one to say that, too.

He had the chance American men’s tennis had been waiting more than two decades to get, and he didn’t finish the job. But Shelton’s tournament was still a massive win for him and for American tennis.

He beat Carlos Alcaraz and reached his first Grand Slam final. He had a chance to give up against Zverev, but he kept fighting and forced a fourth set.

He showed the composure, faith, and love of country that make American sports fans want to invest in a player. Shelton didn’t deliver America a trophy on Sunday.

But he gave us a tennis star we can’t wait to watch try again—and one who isn’t afraid to say he loves God and country while doing it.

Americans deserve better.