India, Sept. 14 -- Even as Ben Shelton's forehand return sailed over the baseline, and the chair umpire announced "game, set, match," Alexander Zverev walked over to the end of the court, tossed the ball back over the net, seeming to get ready to continue and watch.

It took him almost seconds to realise, until his brother Mischa yelled from courtside. His eyes drifted to the scoreboard, then to the reaction from the crowd, before he held his hands up in a quick move to sink it all in.

Zverev had won the US Open. Six years after his devastating loss in the final in New York, where he won the opening two sets and served at 5-3 in the third, the German wrapped up a three-hour-33-minute clash against Shelton to claim his second major title ...