Alexander Zverev v. Ben Shelton 2026 US Open Final 'Championship Clinching' Match Point Tennis Ball | Set 4 | Zverev First US Open Championship

Presented in this lot is the match‑point ball used in the 2026 US Open Finals match featuring Alexander Zverev v. Ben Shelton at Arthur Ashe Stadium on September 13, 2026. 

Zverev defeated Shelton in 4 sets with a final score of 6-3, 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 6-2.  This ball was the decisive shot that sealed the match and secured the win for Zverev for his first US Open championship and only his 2nd major.

The result was significant for both players. For Zverev, it marked a turnaround from his 2020 US Open final loss to Dominic Thiem, when he lost after leading by two sets on this same court. Six years later, he returned as the tournament's No. 1 seed and won the title, becoming only the fourth German player in the Open era to capture multiple major titles. The win was also his second Grand Slam title of the 2026 season, following his win at Roland Garros in June, and improved his record in major matches this year to 25-2.

For Shelton, the match carried its own significance. Playing in front of a home crowd hoping to see the first American men's Grand Slam champion in more than two decades, the 23-year-old competed hard throughout, diving for balls and recovering from a second-set tiebreak loss to win the third set and force a fourth. Though the American drought continued, Shelton's performance reinforced his position as one of the sport's top young American players.

The final point itself was notable. When this championship point ball went out of bounds and hit the back wall, Zverev remained at the baseline, not realizing he had won the match. He did not hear the chair umpire's call. He later told the media, "I didn't hear noise at all. I was in this kind of tunnel where I just didn't hear anything."

The ball was secured on-site and authenticated by a Sotheby’s representative immediately following the match.