Best US Open Moments in Tennis History – Ranking the Top 8

2022-08-13 20:51:29 By : Ms. Dennise Wang

When do you think about the best US Open moments of all time, and which occasions spring to mind?

The chances are that Emma Raducanu’s remarkable debut triumph in 2021 is among your first thoughts. But since the tournament is almost 150 years old, there are countless top US Open tennis moments to consider.

Many of the best tennis betting sites priced Raducanu at around +40000 to go all the way. Still, the teenager made a mockery of the bookies’ odds.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Raducanu features on my list of the greatest US Open moments. But who else makes the cut? Join me as I rank the top eight US Open moments in history.

Between 1881 and 1967, the US Open was known as the United States National Championships. During that period, Richard Sears, William Larned, and Bill Tilden each won seven men’s singles titles.

In 1968, the dawn of the Open Era allowed professional players to compete with amateurs in the Grand Slam tournaments. The United States National Championships became the US Open; the rest is history.

Unsurprisingly, the first two Open events were won by high-profile professionals. Ken Rosewall (“The Little Master”) beat Rod Laver in the inaugural French Open final before Laver dispatched Tony Roche at Wimbledon.

Funnily enough, Ashe was an amateur player at the time. The Virginia native was also a lieutenant in the United States Army. But that didn’t stop him. When Laver fell to Cliff Drysdale in the round of 16, Ashe seized the opportunity.

Ashe beat Drysdale in the quarter-finals before coming from behind to defeat Clark Graebner in the semi-finals. In the final, he claimed a memorable five-set victory over “The Flying Dutchman,” Tom Okker.

Ashe’s triumph as an amateur will always be remembered as one of the best US Open moments of all time. To this day, he remains the only black man to win the singles title at the US Open. What an achievement!

It’s safe to say that Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have produced their fair share of top US Open moments over the years.

Since the Open Era began, no player has won more US Open men’s singles titles than Federer’s five. Meanwhile, Djokovic has reached nine finals – triumphing on three occasions.

The two icons have dished up countless memorable moments between them, including one of the most epic rallies in tennis history. Still, their semi-final battle at Flushing Meadows in 2011 is undoubtedly among the greatest US Open moments.

When Federer won the first two sets, the five-time champion looked destined to reach yet another US Open final. However, Djokovic produced a spirited comeback to win the following two sets and force a decider.

In the fifth set, Federer had two match points. But Djokovic survived on both occasions. After playing a phenomenal crosscourt forehand to save the first match point, the Serbian superstar won four straight games to close out the match.

You probably won’t be surprised to learn that Federer features on my list of the best US Open tennis moments more than once. Please keep reading to relive more of his top US Open moments.

When Venus and Serena Williams met in the quarter-finals of the 2008 US Open, both sisters had won eight of their previous 16 professional encounters. Needless to say, the rivalry was strong.

After chalking up a seemingly comfortable 5-3 lead in the first set, Venus would have been confident of sealing a ninth victory over her younger sibling. However, Serena battled back to force a tie-breaker before snatching the first set.

In the second set, Venus notched an even bigger lead – taking a 5-2 advantage into the eighth game. But once again, Serena refused to give up.

Venus had a triple set point at 5-3, with Serena trailing 40-0 in the ninth game. Still, Serena managed to save all three before saving another triple set point in the tiebreaker.

In total, Serena saved a whopping ten set points throughout the match. There are sporting comebacks – and then there’s Serena’s comeback in the 2008 US Open quarter-finals.

This sisterly encounter will always be remembered as one of history’s top US Open tennis moments.

It is worth noting that Serena is no stranger to epic comebacks. If you want to relive her unforgettable recovery in the 2003 Australian Open final, be sure to check out the blog below.

Nicknamed the Happy Slam, the Australian Open is loved by players and tennis fans alike. Players love it for being the first Grand Slam tournament in the calendar, taking place when it’s summer in the Southern hemisphere. They also love it for the fact...

Winning one US Open title is an achievement in itself. Only the very best players win back-to-back titles, while very few win three on the spin. Moreover, four in a row is downright outrageous.

But what about five successive US Open men’s single titles? Between 2004 and 2008, Federer achieved that feat.

Federer kicked off his era of dominance with a straight-sets victory over Lleyton Hewitt in the 2004 final. He then dispatched Andre Agassi in 2005 before getting the better of Andy Roddick in 2006.

The Swiss machine produced tons of top US Open tennis moments to overcome Djokovic in the 2007 showpiece a year later. But he was far from finished. In 2008, he beat Andy Murray in straight sets to clinch his fifth consecutive US Open crown.

Believe it or not, Federer also reached the final in 2009. However, Juan Martin del Potro prevented him from claiming six straight titles. He also reached the semi-finals in 2010 and 2011, highlighting his dominance.

When it comes to discussing the best US Open moments, Federer’s five successive men’s singles triumphs always deserve a mention.

Two months before John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg combined to produce one of the greatest US Open tennis moments all of the time, the pair played out an epic encounter in the 1980 Wimbledon final.

In their first meeting of the year, Bjorg defeated McEnroe 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 8-6 to secure the Wimbledon silverware. Oh, and did I mention that the duo dished up a mammoth 16-18 tiebreaker along the way?

Anyway, that’s enough about Wimbledon – you’re here to relive the best US Open moments, aren’t you?

But Borg bounced back. The spirited Swede secured the next two sets, notching a 6-7 (5-7) triumph in the third set before winning the fourth set 5-7.

Still, there was time for more drama. Having won the previous two sets, all the momentum appeared to be with Borg. But McEnroe rallied to win the decider 6-4, becoming the first man to defend the US Open singles title in the Open Era.

The unforgettable 1980 final has to go down as one of the best US Open tennis moments ever.

Not only is Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi’s 2001 quarter-final clash among the top US Open moments of all time, but it is also one of the greatest matches in the history of tennis.

So, what makes this encounter one of the US Open best moments? Well, there was not a single service break throughout the entire match.

Sampras eventually won 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5), navigating five tiebreakers to seal the deal. Agassi won the first set before Sampras won the next two. Agassi’s fourth-set triumph took the match to a decider, with Sampras coming out on top.

The five-set epic eventually finished at 12:14 a.m. local time. Thanks to the level of quality on display, the 23,771-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium was still packed to the rafters well after midnight.

You cannot talk about the greatest US Open moments without mentioning this classic all-American showdown.

Tennis has dished up plenty of amazing rivalries over the years. John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. Margaret Court and Billie Jean King. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. I could go on.

That said, few would argue that Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova’s feud throughout the 1970s and 1980s is not the biggest rivalry in tennis history.

Between 1973 and 1988, Evert and Navratilova met on no fewer than 80 occasions. Astonishingly, 60 of their 80 singles meetings on the tour came in finals. That tells you everything you need to know about the duo’s prowess.

Navratilova headed into the 1984 showpiece on a 12-match winning run against Evert. The Czech-born star beat Evert in the 1983 US Open final before claiming the bragging rights in the 1984 French Open final.

Unfortunately for Evert, she could not end Navratilova’s hot streak at Flushing Meadows. But she pushed her rival all the way. Navratilova eventually sealed a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory after fending off Evert’s relentless pressure.

Evert and Navratilova also dished up one of the best Wimbledon matches ever. Why not follow the link below to relive their memorable 1978 encounter in London?

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When Emma Raducanu entered the 2021 US Open as an 18-year-old qualifier, nobody expected her to get very far. But when she reached the semi-finals without dropping a set, people started to sit up and take notice.

After becoming only the fifth player in the Open Era to reach a Grand Slam semi-final as a qualifier, the British teenager dispatched experienced Greek player Maria Sakkari to punch her ticket to the final.

Remarkably, Raducanu defied odds to defeat Leylah Fernandez in the showpiece. In addition to becoming the first-ever qualifier to win a tennis Grand Slam, she won the title without dropping a single set.

The rank outsider took the first set 6-4 before winning the second set 6-3. With the final shot of the match, she delivered a monster 109mph serve to secure the silverware.

Having produced one of the top US Open tennis moments of all time, Raducanu rose to No. 23 in the world rankings – jumping 332 places in a matter of weeks.

There is no denying that Raducan’s debut triumph is among the best US Open tennis moments. In my eyes, it is the biggest achievement in the history of the tournament.

Do you agree with my top US Open tennis moments?

Of course, there are thousands of memorable occasions to look back on. But I’m confident that Raducanu’s debut triumph is the pick of the bunch. Why not leave a comment below if you want to share your favorite US Open moments?

You might be surprised by the exclusion of Rafael Nadal from my list. So, for all the Nadal fans out there, be sure to check out Nadal’s best Grand Slam wins to get your fix.

If you enjoy betting on tennis and want to take your skills to the next level, I highly recommend studying the following pages. There is no shortage of top YouTube channels, and Twitter accounts for tennis bettors.

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