Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 to win the U.S. Open men's title. [1] It is his first U.S. Open and his second major of the year. Saturday this paper printed Rybakina's third major. Sunday the men's file closed. A second Slam is not a ranking rewrite. Print the four-set title. Leave a season rewrite to the ranking sheet.

A first U.S. Open is still a first U.S. Open. Shelton's four-set loss is Sunday's American remainder, not a drought the ranking sheet will rewrite tonight. Print the score. Do not print a season.
Sunday owns the final. Recap that pretends the trophy is still being handed over is a feed, not Reuters.
No second trophy is in Sunday's New York copy.
Shelton's home crowd carried him through two weeks before running into the better player. American men's drought talk resumes Monday. Zverev's name goes on the trophy regardless.

Drought talk resumes Monday; Sunday toasts the champion. Toasts end. The name is engraved.

Engraved names stay engraved; Sunday's cup is Zverev's. Shelton's crowd carried two weeks. American drought talk is Monday's column.

Sunday's cup is Zverev's. Shelton's crowd carried two weeks. Drought talk is Monday's column.

The men's final already has its four-set score. Zverev keeps the cup as his second Slam this year. Shelton's defeat is a result, not a rewritten American season. Monday may talk drought; Sunday will not.
The four-set score already stands. Drought talk is Monday's column. Sunday will not rewrite an American season.

The four-set score already stands. Drought talk is Monday's column. Sunday will not rewrite an American season.

-- AMARA OKONKWO, Lagos