NEW YORK CITY — That sound you heard? It was the air leaving Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday in New York. It has been—all together now, with feeling—23 years since an American man last won a major singles title. That was Andy Roddick at the 2003 U.S. Open, a mere 90 majors ago.
But on this New York Sunday, there stood Ben Shelton—ironically, 23 years old—prepared to end that streak, reverse the curse and break through playing in his first major final. Playing the biggest match of his ascending career, with 24,000 or so of his closest friends cheering him on, he stood on the threshold. But in the match’s toughest moments, he retreated just a bit, and that enabled the opponent, Germany’s Alexander Zverev, the top seed, to thwart Shelton’s ambitions and thwart history. Zverev won, nay, seized, today’s final 6–3. 7–6, 5–7, 6–2.
