Zverev cannot lose this on paper, which is exactly his problem

Alexander Zverev has beaten Ben Shelton five times out of five and 44 of his last 45 left-handers, leads the tour in wins and has reached every Grand Slam semifinal this year. He is also 1-7 against the top 10 in 2026 and has not met a top 20 player in this fortnight, which is why beating the world No. 9 in a US Open final would answer the only question still attached to his name.

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