The most elite tennis was played over the last two weeks in Queens, New York. The 142nd U.S Open saw many historical moments and firsts. Played in Billie King National Stadium over fourteen days, the U.S. Open is the final major tournament on the ATP and WTA tours. 

A major upset on the court was the Serena Williams loss over Australian Ajla Tomljanovic; the thrilling three-set third-round match saw excellent tennis and emotion. Sadly, This was Serena’s last match, announcing in early August that she would retire at the end of the U.S. Open. Saying she’s “ready to move on to new things” and spend time with her daughter. Serena has done tremendous things for women in tennis and tennis in general. She revolutionized the sport with her ambition, power, and personality. Winning more Grand Slam singles titles (23) than any other female or male, Serena will be greatly missed but will forever be the G.O.A.T. 

Another major upset was seen in round 16, Rafael Nadal vs. Frances TiaFoe. Nadal, ranked 3rd, lost against 22nd seed Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe is a 24-year-old American player who was raised in Maryland. After his win against Nadal, he advanced to the quarter-finals and won against 9th-ranked Andrey Rublev. After his win against Rublev, he advanced to the semi-finals, where he faced Carlos Alcaraz on Friday, September 9th. This match lasted a complete five sets, going back and forth between the two players, until Tiafoe landed the ball in the net, resulting in an Alcatraz win. Tiafoe’s appearance in the semi-finals was the first time since 2006 that an American reached this far in the tournament and the first time an African American man since Arthur Ashe. He received a standing ovation for his effort and exited the tournament in high hopes saying, “I’ll come back one day and win this thing.” 

Looking at the final, Carlos Alcaraz is a 19-year-old from Spain, and after securing a win against Tiafoe, he advanced to the finals to fight for the championship. On the other side of the court was Casper Rudd. Casper Rudd is a 23-year-old for Norway and is the 5th ranked tennis player in the world. Making him the highest-ranked Norwegian player in history. The final was played in four sets. The first set went to Carlos Alcaraz. The next set went to Rudd, who dominated a 6-2 point win. The third set ended in a tiebreaker, which Alcaraz won. And the fourth set was Alcaraz’s to lose. He had the momentum and won 6-3. His fourth set win made him the youngest player to win the U.S. Open and the youngest to win a major since Rafael Nadal in 2005. 

On the women’s side, the final was played between Iga Świątek and Ons Jabeur. Two remarkable women ranked number one (Iga Świątek) and two (Ons Jabeur) in women’s tennis. The final only went to two sets as Iga Świątek took both. The first set was won 6-2, followed by a commentator saying, “is that it” as Świątek won the set reasonably quickly. The second set was a little more complicated as it was won in a tiebreaker. Świątek defeated Jubeur in straight sets to receive her second grand slam title. Her first came earlier this year at the French Open in June, making her the first woman since 2016 to win two grand slams in the same season! 

Great tennis was played throughout the weeks and great tennis is still to come! The WTA Slovenia Open is being played September 13th through the 15th. The ATP Tennis Napoli Open, is being played October 14th through the 24th.