The U.S. Open concluded with a bang, wrapping up two storylines that were almost polar opposites. American Coco Gauff (ranked number six heading into the tournament), one of the most exciting young women’s tennis players in the sport, took down the number-two ranked tennis player in a thrilling three-set match to win her first Grand Slam title, while Novak Djokovic, considered one of the best tennis players in history, added another trophy to an already impressive record. Both finals saw high viewership and followed an incredible buildup, making the final Grand Slam tournament of 2023 so much more entertaining than anyone could have hoped for.
When the 143rd U.S. Open in New York City rolled around, the focus on the men’s side surrounded not only Djokovic, but a number of other exciting young players looking to make their mark. On the men’s side, American Frances Tiafoe had stunned audiences with a surprising semifinal appearance in the 2022 U.S. Open, and was looking to perform well on his home court once again. Carlos Alcaraz entered the tournament as the deserving number one seed, taking the top spot out of 128 competitors to set up the tournament bracket.
Over on the women’s side, the young Coco Gauff had stolen the show in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) following major upset performances in Wimbledon and the U.S. Open the year before. The American entered as the sixth-ranked player in the tournament after having been 11th just a year ago. The 2022 tournament winner, Iga Świątek of Poland, entered as the top-ranked player in the world following her third French Open title in four years.
However, Gauff’s road through the tournament wasn’t smooth, as her first-round match against Laura Siegemund had controversy from an unlikely source: the umpire. Gauff became upset as Siegemund took extra time between serves, causing the American crowd on hand to join in with protests. Gauff had numerous complaints about the speed of the match throughout the three-set victory, feeling that Siegemund was trying to slow the pace on purpose. Siegemund was penalized twice during the match for serve clock violations, and left the match in tears following the loss.
America saw two of its women — Gauff and Madison Keys (17) — make it to the semifinals, but Keys fell to number-two ranked Aryna Sabalenka, avoiding an all-American final. The men saw an impressive set of matches in the semifinal as well, with Alcaraz (1) taking on Daniil Medvedev (3) and Djokovic (2) facing emerging star American Ben Shelton, who was unranked heading into the tournament. Shelton fell in straight sets to Djokovic, but the major upset came as Medvedev defeated Alcaraz in four sets, preventing a Wimbledon rematch. It would be Djokovic’s fourth consecutive finals appearance after losing the Wimbledon final in July despite dominating the tournament (his first Wimbledon final loss since 2013).
Djokovic dominated his final match against Medvedev, taking control in the first set and never looking back despite a second-set tiebreak. The Serbian earned a record-breaking 24th career Grand Slam title, extending his record over Rafael Nadal who had the previous record of 22. The victory also marked the fourth time Djokovic has won three major titles in a single season, becoming the first man to achieve the feat.
The women’s final was much less straightforward, with Gauff fighting back from an early deficit to claim the first title of her young career. She became not only the 12th teenager to win a U.S. Open, but also the first American teen to win the tournament since Serena Williams did so in 1999. The emotional victory for Gauff was matched by the emotional defeat for Sabalenka, who was emotional after the match before congratulating Gauff. The raucous American crowd got to Sabalenka throughout the match, and caused a number of miscues that made for a hostile environment.
The U.S. Open marks the end of the Grand Slam season, with athletes taking on smaller tournaments before the Australian Open in mid-January. The break gives players a chance to relax and train, but also opens up new storylines and questions for the start of next season. Djokovic and Gauff will return to the land down under in prime form, but only time will tell what the next Open has in store.
