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The 2024 US Open drew to a close on Sunday, September 8, after a fortnight of exhilarating action. The 144th edition of the tournament had plenty of memorable moments, surprises, and new sporting stars, among other things.
Title favorites and Australian Open champions Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka triumphed in the men's and women's singles finals, respectively, defeating American opponents Taylor Fritz and Jessica Pegula.
There were also several upsets, on the other hand, as defending champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff were eliminated in the third and fourth rounds, respectively. Meanwhile, 2022 champions Carlos Alcaraz and Iga Swiatek suffered disappointing defeats in the second round and the quarterfinals, respectively.
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Arguably one of the biggest stages for a tennis player to announce themselves, the US Open once again delivered with several young stars bursting onto the scene with many seasoned talents also earning plaudits.
Here, we take a look at 3 surprise packages from the 2024 US Open:
#3 Brandon Nakashima
Brandon Nakashima headed into the US Open on the back of an impressive North American hardcourt swing, where he reached the third rounds in Washington, Montreal, and Cincinnati. He also secured notable victories over compatriots Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul in the process.
In New York, Nakashima kicked off his campaign with a shock straight-sets victory 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 over 15th-seeded Holger Rune. He carried his rich vein of form into the second round, brushing aside French youngster Arthur Cazaux 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.
In the third round, Nakashima faced 18th seed and Olympic bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti. Although he dropped his first set of the tournament, the American ultimately secured a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4) win. His run was brought to a halt in the subsequent round by fourth seed Alexander Zverev, despite a win in the first set.
The 23-year-old's impressive recent form and significant improvement in New York—from the first round last year to the fourth round this year—has seen him jump ten spots in the men’s rankings to a career-high position of 40.
#2 Jack Draper
Jack Draper's run to the semifinals in New York marked his deepest-ever performance at a Grand Slam, surpassing his previous best of reaching the fourth round at last year's US Open.
Draper began his campaign with a 6-3, 6-0, 4-0 win over Zhizhen Zhang, who was forced to retire in the third set due to injury. He then comfortably defeated Facundo Diaz Acosta, Carlos Alcaraz's conqueror—Botic van de Zandschulp, 25th seed Tomas Machac, and 10th seed Alex de Minaur, all in straight sets.
In the semifinals, Draper faced his good friend Jannik Sinner. Sinner narrowly won the first two sets, and a fatigued Draper ultimately fell in the third, with the final scores at 7-5, 7-6(3), 6-2. Draper's strong performance in New York propelled him five spots up the men's rankings into the top 20.
#1 Emma Navarro
New York native Emma Navarro's historic fortnight at the US Open not only marked her deepest run at a Grand Slam but also saw her break into the top 10 of the women's rankings for the first time.
Navarro entered the US Open following semifinal runs in Toronto and Monterey. She began her campaign in New York with back-to-back 6-1, 6-1 victories over Anna Blinkova and Arantxa Rus before overcoming 19th seed Marta Kostyuk in a thrilling three-set match.
Navarro then defeated her good friend and defending champion Coco Gauff in the fourth round in a thrilling three-set match, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. She followed this with a victory over a resurgent and in-form Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals, overcoming a late charge from the Spaniard to secure a 6-2, 7-5 win.
In the semifinals, eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka proved too strong for Navarro. Despite a strong effort from the American in the second set, Sabalenka emerged victorious with a 6-3, 7-6 (2) scoreline.
Navarro's breakthrough performance at her home Slam propelled her four places up the WTA rankings, marking her debut in the top 10 with a career-high eighth place. With the WTA finals in sight now, Navarro will look to finish her season on a high as the race for the coveted year-end tournament heats up.
