From tennis hobbyist to professional, the last days of August and first days of September are filled with excitement as fans watch tennis big names duke it out for the title as one of the US Open champions.
The US Open, while reserving the title of oldest tennis championship, is the final of the four Grand Slam tennis events to be held each year. Since 1978 the US Open has been held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York. Held Aug. 26 to Sept. 8, this year’s tournament did not disappoint.
Singles:
Men’s:
Italian Jannik Sinner, world No. 1, beat American No. 1 Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. While Fritz lost, he broke the American men’s singles Grand Slam final drought. The last time an American man was present in a Grand Slam final was Andy Roddick’s loss to Roger Federer at the 2009 Wimbledon, and the last men’s Grand Slam win came six years prior when Roddick won the 2003 US Open.
While Fritz put up a good fight, Sinner’s win became more and more apparent as he continued to dominate and outplay Fritz each set. Sinner’s break point percentage was 50% compared to Fritz’s 29%. A breakpoint situation is when the returning player is one point away from winning the game. Break point percentage is determined by the amount of times a player capitalizes on this opportunity. Sinner’s win marked him as the first Italian Men’s US Open Champion and gave him his second Grand Slam title, which has been rarely done in the same season. Sinner’s success in this Grand Slam season is leading some to consider him the new king.
Women’s:
Belarusian player and world No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka, beat American player and world No. 6 Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5. The win gave Sabalenka her third Grand Slam title. Sabalenka’s strength was showcased early on as she dominated at the net. Over the course of the game, Sabalenka won a total of six break points against Pegula.
Despite having sat out most of the spring season due to neck and rib injuries, Pegula rose to Sabalena’s level and put up a solid fight, especially during the second set, in which she took two break points and began to make a comeback. The score rose to 5-3 in Pegula’s favor, threatening a third match. Despite this, after holding on to her serve and sending several furious forehands, Sabalenka won the set 7-5. Despite losing the match, Pegula will take the new world No. 3 spot.
Doubles:
Men’s:
The world No. 7 Australian duo Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson took home their first Grand Slam title beating No. 10 German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. The first major title for the duo comes after a loss at the Wimbledon finals in July. The game was won 6-4, 7-6(4). The match was an exciting watch especially during the second set which was tied 5-all after Purcell broke love. Two service holds ensured that the game was re-tied at 6-all; leaving the Australian duo to serve the winning point.
Women’s:
World No. 7 Ukrainian power duo, Lyudmyla Kichenok and Jelena Ostapenko, took home the championship title beating unseeded Kristina Mladenovic and Zhang Shuai, 6-4, 6-3. Earlier in the season Kichenok and Ostapenko were close to taking home another Grand Slam title, but fell short, receiving the title of the Australian Open runner-ups. The first set featured sharp and swift volleys from Kichenok and Ostapenko yet Mladenovic and Shuai were just as sharp and managed to even the score from 3-0 to 4-all. Regardless, the Ukrainian duo still managed to pull out the win. The second set started out favoring Mladenovic and Shuai and they took the lead 3-1, but after several bruisings from Ostapenko and a dramatic and contentious set, Kichenok and Ostapenko took the win.
Mixed:
Italian duo Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori beat American duo Donald Young and Taylor Townsend 7-6 (0), 7-5. The first 10 games of the first set were evenly paced with each team holding serve at 5-all, but the tie was rebroken. It didn’t last long, however, as it was soon 6-6, forcing a tiebreak. Errani and Vavassori won the tiebreaker, giving them the set. The second set favored the Italians as they took the lead, winning four of the first six games. The American duo tried to make a comeback and managed to reach a tie at 4-all, but quickly lost the lead, leaving Errani and Vavassori to win the set. The game marked the end of Young’s career. While it was sad for the duo to lose, Young told press that he was happy to go out playing at Arthur Ashe. Young has also hinted at transitioning his career to pickleball.
Only several weeks after the conclusion of the championship, predictions of next year’s winners are already being made. No matter the season, the love for tennis will always continue, and it’s Grand Slam events like the US Open that push players to be greater and greater each year. Fans can look forward to Jan. 6, when the Australian Open will start off the Grand Slam events of 2025.
