kenneth in the (212): Weekend Tennis Roundup

Sunday, September 13, 2026

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Alexander Zverev treated Ben Shelton like one of his girlfriends; Elena Rybakina reduced Aryna Sabalenka to ... Aryna Sabalenka; and two gay men competed against each other for a Challenger title in Austria. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.

Alexander Zverev, who allegedly has one of the hardest backhands on and off the court, capped a rather strange year this afternoon, defeating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2 to win his first U.S. Open title and second major of 2026.

Yet the victory over world No. 9 Shelton was just Zverev’s second win over a Top 10 player all year.

Zverev entered the final with a 1-7 record against the Top 10 in 2026, and he hadn’t faced anyone ranked inside the Top 20 during his run to the championship match. Shelton therefore became only his second Top 10 victim of the season -- Taylor Fritz at Wimbledon was the other -- an almost bizarre statistic for one of the most successful players of the year, and perhaps the clearest illustration yet of just how suddenly shallow the men’s field has become.

His title in New York lifts him to 9,690 points, while Jannik Sinner will have 11,500, leaving Zverev still 1,810 points behind when the rankings are updated.

That’s especially remarkable when you consider Zverev now owns two of the year’s four Grand Slam titles -- more than anyone else -- and reached the Wimbledon final and Australian Open semifinals, yet still remains a distant No. 2. (Sinner went on a Masters 1000 tear in the spring.)

Clearly Zverev's season says more about the depleted state of the men’s game than it does about any improvement in his game, which might explain the forlorn plea from U.S. Open commentators after the trophy ceremony: “Get healthy, Carlos and Jannik. Please.”

This bizarre outcome is why I urge caution when people say they’re absolutely certain that Monica Seles would’ve won dozens of majors had she not been stabbed. Yes, she was brilliant and had everyone’s number at the time she was attacked. But she was also injury prone and you can never be sure what will happen. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner had a lock on 2026 ... until they didn't.

Elena Rybakina defeated two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka to win her first U.S. Open title and claim the world No. 1 ranking.

Not sure anyone picked Rybakina to win two majors and rise to the top of the game, but what a difference a year makes. I've always liked her and was rooting for her throughout the fortnight.

American Christian Harrison and Britain's Neal Skupski won the men's doubles title by defeating the German duo of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Putz 6–4, 7–6(6).

For me, this may have been the highlight of it all

Congrats to Harrison-Skupski for being the only team to double dip!

And last but not least: Czech Katerina Siniakova and American Taylor Townsend won the women's doubles title by defeating the American team of Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery 5-7, 6-0, 6-2, completing a career Grand Slam together. For Townsend, it completed her personal career Grand Slam and finally delivered a U.S. Open women's doubles title after two previous runner-up finishes, while Siniakova became the first woman to complete a career doubles Grand Slam with two different partners, having previously done so with Barbora Krejcikova. While Townsend's supporters saw this as vindication for the way she was treated as a junior, I see it more as proof that she really did have what it took to be a contender, yet blew it by opting to "do it her way," rendering only capable of ruling half the court.

Rothenberg's Complaint: No one dislikes Zverev more than I do. But short of locking him up and throwing away the key, I’m not entirely sure what Ben Rothenberg -- who first reported about Olya Sharypova’s abuse allegations against the German-born Slav -- would like to see happen at this point.

When she spoke publicly in 2020, Sharypova specifically said she did not intend to pursue either criminal charges or a civil case against Zverev. She told Rothenberg that she didn’t “want anything from him”; she said her purpose in telling the story was to tell the truth and help other people in similar situations.

The ATP commissioned an independent investigation into the allegations, which lasted 15 months and ultimately found “insufficient evidence to substantiate published allegations of abuse."

A second accuser, Brenda Patea, the mother of his child who accused him of pushing her against a wall and strangling her, did pursue the matter through the German legal system; prosecutors brought a case, Zverev contested it, and the trial ultimately ended by mutual settlement without a guilty verdict or admission of guilt. (Zverev agreed to pay €200,000 -- €150,000 to the state and €50,000 to charitable organizations. The settlement contained no admission of guilt, the court made no finding that Zverev committed the alleged abuse, and a court spokeswoman said that what actually happened remained unclear.)

None of this requires anyone to stop believing his accusers. But if an independent investigation that fails to substantiate the allegations and a mutual settlement aren't enough, what exactly would be?

A lot is being made of the Sheltons' "pic with" Vivek Ramaswamy, who in fairness was a former ranked junior tennis player who does live in the state where Ben was playing a tournament at the time.

Star sightings: Orlando Bloom

Brandon Flynn

Rami Malek, Chelsea Handler and the legendary Leslie Bibb

Homer Gere and Kaia Gerber

François Arnaud

Historic: Switzerland's Mika Brunold claimed his maiden ATP Challenger title by defeating Joao Lucas Reis da Silva of Brazil 6-4, 6-3 in Tulln, Austria, in what was the first known professional men’s final between two openly gay players. Reis da Silva became the first active male professional to come out publicly in 2024, with Brunold following in 2025.