2022 U.S. Open recap: A year of firsts
The U.S. Open tennis tournament concluded this past Sunday night and there were plenty of things that made this year’s event extra special.
Serena Williams, one of the greatest athletes ever, might have played the last match of her career when she exited in the second round. A new world No. 1 on the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz has become the youngest ever to do it since the Pepperstone ATP Rankings were introduced in 1973.
Here are the biggest moments and headlines from the historic tournament:
Women’s side
Williams may have made her farewell at the year’s tournament, and for good reason. She has had the thought of continuing her life outside of tennis ever since giving birth to her daughter, Olympia. Many fans knew Williams wasn’t going to make a long run in the tournament, as she is almost 41 years old and has been on tour for 27 years.
Williams managed to accomplish things that may never be seen again. Winning the U.S. Open at just 17 years old, she kickstarted her 23 Grand Slam winning career off at the same place where it may end. She is the oldest women’s player to be ranked world No. 1 and she is also the oldest women’s player to win a Grand Slam, both at 35 years old.
Ons Jabeur, who lost in this year’s championship to Iga Świątek, made history by being the first African and Arab women to reach the women’s U.S. Open final. The world No. 2 has had quite the year, also reaching the Wimbledon final earlier this year.
The main star of the women’s tour this year, however, is Świątek. She is an impressive 55-7 on the WTA tour this year with seven tournament wins, both the best on tour. She has won two Grand Slams this year, U.S. and French, and she is the first woman since 2016 to win multiple Grand Slams in a single season.
Men’s side
Alcaraz defeated Casper Ruud in four sets to receive his first Grand Slam title. This match was also the decider for the No. 1 spot in the world, and Alcaraz is now the youngest man at No. 1 being only 19-years-old. Alcaraz leads the men’s side of the tour with 51 wins this season. With this being his third year on tour, he has already accomplished so much more than most other players ever. He has won two Masters 1000 events this year as well, which means he has what it takes on all three surfaces.
It seems that Alcaraz will break any record that is put in front of him, and fans are more than excited for the future. The 19-year-old Spaniard has been called baby Nadal by the world of tennis. For the game of tennis, Alcaraz could end up being the next Nadal, Djokovic or Federer kind of player.
For the Americans at this year’s open, it was Frances Tiafoe who shined the brightest in Flushing Meadows. The 24-year-old became the first African American man since Arthur Ashe to reach the semifinals. Frances played his heart out on Arthur Ashe stadium where he would eventually lose an incredible five-set match versus Alcaraz.
Tiafore said on Good Morning America that “to be in the same sentence as Arthur Ashe in anything is unbelievable and something no one can take from me. So I’m going to remember that forever.” The biggest tennis stadium in the world is named after Ashe after he became the first and only African American man to win the U.S. Open.
Daniel Maiorana is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism, to contact him, email dkm5903@psu.edu.
