Every August, New York City hosts the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year: The U.S. Open. Following the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and Wimbledon, it begins in late August and lasts for two weeks. Played on hard courts, this tournament is famous for its rambunctious crowds that fill the massive stadiums. This year, the tournament featured a record number of seeded Americans. On the men’s side, four players made the top 20: Taylor Fritz (4), Ben Shelton (6), Tommy Paul (14), and Frances Tiafoe (17). On the women’s side, Coco Gauff (3), Jessica Pegula (4), Madison Keys (6), Amanda Anisimova (8), and Emma Navarro (10) made up half of the top 10 players! This year was also a close race for the world #1. On the women’s side, an early fall from Aryna Sabalenka could have led to a takeover from Iga Świątek or Gauff. On the men’s side, the rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner continued, and this time, the world number one title was at stake. This will prove to be interesting, as the past two Slam finals have been close battles between Sinner and Alcaraz, or a “Sincaraz” match, as this duo has been dubbed.
Besides the battle for world #1, this year’s U.S. Open introduced a new form of mixed doubles. With $1,000,000 on the line and a reimagined schedule and format, this year’s mixed doubles roster became filled with star-studded names of singles players. The 16 teams that qualified had a combined total of 54 Slam titles between them, exciting fans but sparking controversy amongst the players who solely play doubles, as many of them were unable to play in this tournament. Nevertheless, defending champions and true doubles players, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, took home the title.
This tournament also led to lots of drama and comedic headlines; one of the biggest being Alcaraz debuting his (accidental) buzz cut, which coined him “Baldcaraz” for the tournament. Fellow players had many comments about it; Tiafoe called it “horrendous,” while fellow rival Sinner said it “suits him.” Perhaps the most dramatic headline was the upset of 13th seed Daniil Medvedev. When faced with a match point, Medvedev encouraged the crowd to cheer for six minutes straight. This pushed the match to last another two sets before the French underdog Benjamin Bonzi finally beat him, resulting in a trademark Medvedev racket smash. This year’s U.S. Open also marks the return of 7-time Slam winner Venus Williams to major tournaments since the 2023 US Open. While she was eliminated in the first round by Karolína Muchová, she reached the quarter-finals in her doubles run.
For the third time this year, we had a “Sincaraz” Slam final. With Alcaraz having beaten Sinner in a dramatic five-setter earlier this summer in Roland Garros, and Sinner rebounding and defeating Alcaraz in Wimbledon just weeks prior, this was anybody’s match. With Sinner favored as the top seed and defending champion, Alcaraz proved himself and beat Sinner in a close four-set match, reclaiming the world #1 title for the first time since September 2023. Following the match, Alcaraz commented on how often he and Sinner face each other, joking that he sees Sinner “more than [his] own family.”
On the women’s side, the finals felt like a Wimbledon rematch more than anything else. Amanda Anisimova, an American fan favorite who had been “double-bageled” in the Wimbledon final weeks ago by Iga Świątek, bounced back and defeated Świątek in straight sets, reaching her second Slam final of the season. Defending champion and world #1 Sabelanka made another return to the US Open finals. While Anisimova had previously beaten Sabelenka in a tense semi-final match at Wimbledon this year, Sabelenka held her ground and beat Anisimova, defending her title.
This year’s U.S. Open has highlighted how tennis is in an exciting era, with the Sinner and Alcaraz rivalry ready to thrive for many more years, and the stage already set for a thrilling Australian Open next January! The U.S. Open closed the Slam season with drama, upsets, and victory, proving why it remains one of tennis’ most popular and entertaining tournaments. Until next August!
