Based on The Wall Street Journal dispatch: “The 23-year-old had hoped to end a Grand Slam drought for U.S. men, dating back to 2003. Instead, the tournament crowned Alexander Zverev after a 6-3, 7-6(2), 5-7, 6-2 victory.”
Chronology of major milestones since Andy Roddick's 2003 US Open championship:
Opening Stanza Dominance: Zverev seized immediate baseline control with an early break in set 1, dictating tempo with crosscourt backhand depth and landing 74% of first serves.
Tiebreak Decider (Set 2): After staying on serve through 12 games, Zverev opened a 5-0 lead in the tiebreak before taking it 7-2, pushing his aggregate match momentum to peak levels.
The Third Set Surge: The American finalist raised return aggression, capitalizing on a double fault at 5-6 to force a fourth set and briefly reduce Zverev's advantage to 42% in that frame.
Closing Set Authority: Zverev rebounded decisively in the fourth set (85% momentum advantage), breaking twice and closing the match out 6-2 to secure the Grand Slam title.