As fans, we love predicting who the champion of each grand slam will be . But sometimes, the victor is a dark horse, and that’s when it gets most exciting. These are perhaps the most surprising U.S. Open champions of all time. Do you remember watching any of these thrilling matches?
Arthur Ashe (1968)
The very first U.S. Open certainly did not disappoint fans. By capturing the tournament title, unranked Arthur Ashe became the first person to win an amateur title and national championship within the same year.
Tracy Austin (1979)
At age 16, Tracy Austin became the youngest ever U.S. Open champion, beating powerhouse Martina Navratilova in the semifinals before defeating five-time defending champion, Chris Evert Lloyd.
Pete Sampras (1990)
The road to Pete Sampras’ first major title was unexpected. After skipping the 1990 French Open and then losing in the first round of Wimbledon, he became the youngest male U.S. Open champion at 19 years old.
Serena Williams (1999)
In her second year on the pro circuit, Serena Williams lost in the third rounds of the Australian and French opens before missing Wimbledon because of an injury. She bounced back at the U.S. Open, defeating Monica Seles, defending champion Lindsay Davenport and finally, world No. 1 Martina Hingis to win her first of many major titles.
Juan Martín del Potro (2009)
In 2009, 20-year-old Juan Martín del Potro was ousted from the Australian Open and French Open by world No. 2 Roger Federer. The Argentine would get his sweet revenge at the U.S. Open, where he not only upset Federer, but also earned the distinction of being the only person outside the “Big Four” to win a major between the 2005 French Open and 2013 U.S. Open.
Sam Stosur (2011)
After disappointing results in the first three majors of 2011, Sam Stosur’s ranking slipped from No. 4 to No. 10. At the start of the hard court season, however, Stosur made a run to the Roger’s Cup finals, where she lost to Serena Williams in straight sets. A few weeks later she defeated Williams in the finals of the U.S. Open, capturing her first ever grand slam title.
Marin Cilic (2014)
At a time when top-ranked men’s tennis players dominate grand slams, 14th seeded Marin Cilic’s U.S. Open win was highly unexpected. On the road to his first major title, Cilic defeated Gilles Simon for the first time ever, world No. 7 Tomas Berdych, world No. 3 Roger Federer and 10th seeded Kei Nishikori.
