2026 U.S. Open Men's Final: Alexander Zverev vs. Ben Shelton Preview

The 2026 U.S. Open men's final is set as top-seeded Alexander Zverev of Germany will take on American Ben Shelton on Sunday. Zverev is looking for his second grand slam victory of the year after winning the French Open. Shelton, meanwhile, has a chance to become the first American male to win a grand slam since Andy Roddick was victorious at the U.S. Open in 2003.

The final will start at 2 p.m. ET from Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y. Zverev is the -152 favorite (risk $152 to win $100) to defeat Shelton (+126) in the latest Zverev vs. Shelton odds. The over/under for total games is 42.5. Zverev is at +330 to win in straight sets. Before making any 2026 U.S. Open picks, you need to see who proven SportsLine tennis handicapper Jose Onorato is backing.

Onorato grew up playing competitive tennis in Caracas, Venezuela. After coming to the U.S., he trained with famed coach Nick Bollettieri at IMG Academy in Florida and faced players like Robert Farah, now one of the world's top-ranked doubles players.

Onorato has gone 168-106-8 (+107.12 units) on his best bets since 2022. He correctly called Jannik Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open (+160), Carlos Alcaraz (+130) in the 2025 French Open and Sinner again at 2025 Wimbledon (+180). He also called Coco Gauff (+700) in the 2025 French Open, Iga Swiatek (+1200) at 2025 Wimbledon and then nailed Alexander Zverev (+700) at this year's French Open. Anybody following his tennis picks at sportsbooks and on tennis betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Now, Onorato has scrutinized the latest U.S. Open 2026 odds and released his best bets to win the men's final. He's sharing all of his picks and analysis at SportsLine.

Top Zverev vs. Shelton predictions

Onorato has analyzed the U.S. Open men's final match from every angle. One pick he is targeting at the best betting apps is Zverev -1.5 games (-115). Onorato acknowledges that Shelton has earned every bit of his run to the final and he should have the crowd behind him on Sunday. But he sees the matchup favoring Zverev and gives the German a big edge due to his experience at this level.

"The matchup favors Zverev in the ways that matter most," Onorato told SportsLine. "In their last meeting at the 2025 ATP Finals, Shelton won just 10 of 54 return points against Zverev, and Zverev won 16 of 21 points off Shelton's second serve. Zverev's backhand is tailor-made to handle Shelton's forehand, and his return game is a significant step above anything Shelton has faced this fortnight. This is their first meeting at a major, and the experience gap in best-of-five finals is enormous. Zverev has been here, most recently winning Roland Garros. Shelton has not."

How to make 2026 U.S. Open men's final picks

Onorato has his full analysis for Shelton vs. Zverev, and he's identified another best bet that returns plus money. You can only see his U.S. Open 2026 picks and analysis at SportsLine.