Alexander Zverev has added another major milestone to his strong 2026 campaign, winning his first US Open crown after a four-set victory over Ben Shelton. The German’s plan was executed with authority, and the home crowd at Flushing Meadows was left to drift out in disappointment as the final unfolded.

The result gave Zverev his second Grand Slam title of the year, a figure that stands above the rest on the men’s side in 2026. That followed his first major triumph at Roland Garros in June, a breakthrough that already marked this season as the most productive of his career at the biggest events.

With the US Open now complete, attention naturally turns to the world No 1 ranking. Zverev sits just 1810 points behind Jannik Sinner, making the gap narrow enough for the race to remain alive heading into the closing stretch of the season.

Boris Becker, Zverev’s compatriot, suggested the timing may be close to decisive. Writing on social media after the US Open title was secured, Becker said: “Think Sascha is gonna take it by the time Turin comes along.”

That reference points to the ATP Finals in Turin, the season-ending event for the eight highest-ranked players in men’s tennis. Zverev, Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz have already secured their places for the tournament, which begins on 15th November.

The German has a particularly important window ahead, especially with Sinner managing injury concerns. The Italian’s knee ruled him out of the US Open and he is expected back at the China Open, which starts on September 30th.

There is also a significant points dynamic at play. Sinner is defending 3550 points before the season ends, based on titles at the China Open, the Vienna Open, the Paris Masters, and the ATP Finals in 2025. Zverev, by contrast, has only 1,040 points to protect and did not win a title during this stretch last year.

That leaves Zverev with a clear opening before the ATP season closes. He returns to action at the Laver Cup from September 25th to 27th, where he will represent Team Europe alongside Alcaraz, Jakub Mensik, Flavio Cobolli, Rafael Jodar, and Casper Ruud against Team World.

Jannik Sinner may have been ahead of the discussion when Alexander Zverev began closing in on the No 1 ranking.

Before Zverev captured the French Open in June, finally completing his long wait for a first Grand Slam title, he sat behind Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Tour standings. His path through 2026 had already shown the gap he still had to bridge. He lost to eventual champion Alcaraz in the Australian Open semi-finals, took advantage of Sinner’s early defeat at Roland Garros and Alcaraz’s wrist injury absence, and then fell to Sinner in the Wimbledon final.

That defeat was his fifth against Sinner in 2026, leaving him close to 5,000 ranking points behind the five-time major winner. The 6ft 6in German did make it competitive in a four-set loss, but the balance still appeared to favour Sinner and Alcaraz.

Now, after Zverev’s four-set victory over Ben Shelton to win his first US Open on Sunday, Sinner’s Centre Court message looks increasingly pointed.

“I would like to start with you and your whole team and family. You reached one of your main goals in winning a Grand Slam and made it happen in Paris,” he said.

“Today was so, so close and if you play like this I am very, very sure you are going to have this one at home as well. Amazing. Keep going. I know the goal is for you to become number one in the world and you are very close, so I have to be very careful now!”

The No 1 picture is becoming more interesting as the season moves on. Sinner is 1,810 points clear of Zverev in the ATP Tour rankings, yet in the ATP Race it is the two-time major winner who leads by 700 points. Sinner remains out with a knee injury, while Alcaraz has returned after four months away with a knee injury and is fourth in the Race behind Shelton.

Asked whether he is the best player in the world right now, Zverev answered with context rather than certainty.

“You have to take everything into consideration,” he said. “With Jannik Sinner being injured and Carlos Alcaraz coming back from injury after four months, right now, probably yes. Both of them healthy and both of them at the top of their game, maybe not.

“But if we say right, right now with Jannik being injured and Carlos coming back from injury, maybe. I mean, four, five months ago when both of them were healthy, I wasn’t. I was losing to Jannik all the time. So if everyone is healthy, I think Jannik is still ahead. It’s as simple as that.”

A compelling finish to the year is now in view.

Elena Rybakina has brought Aryna Sabalenka’s extended stay at the top of the WTA Rankings to an end, moving into the world No 1 position and becoming the 30th player to reach the summit.

Sabalenka had controlled the top spot for a significant stretch, starting her second spell on 21 October 2024 and remaining there for 99 consecutive weeks before Rybakina pushed her down to No 2 after the US Open.

The breakthrough makes Rybakina the first player from Kazakhstan to climb to No 1 in the world. Her rise was confirmed after reaching the semi-finals at Flushing Meadows, and she then added the season-ending Grand Slam in New York, building a strong cushion over the Belarusian.

Rybakina’s ascent also changes the shape of the list of former No 1s still active on tour. There are now seven WTA players who have held the top ranking and remain competing.

*Although Victoria Azarenka has not officially retired, she is currently listed as inactive by the official WTA website with her last official match at the 2025 US Open.

At the top of that active group is Rybakina herself, whose time at No 1 has only just begun and is set to continue for at least a couple of months thanks to a lead of more than 2,000 points over Sabalenka.

Karolina Pliskova is next with eight weeks at No 1. She remains the only active player to have reached world No 1 without winning a Grand Slam, despite runner-up finishes at the US Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2021.

Venus Williams holds 11 weeks at the summit, spread across three short spells in 2002. Naomi Osaka follows with 25 weeks, while Sabalenka’s total stands at 107 weeks, placing her 10th on the all-time list.

Iga Swiatek has collected 125 weeks, good for seventh all-time, while Serena Williams leads the way with 319 weeks. Her record includes eight separate stints at No 1, and her place at the top remains unmatched in the current group.