The 136th US Open has come to a close in New York and we have two brand new champions at Flushing Meadows in Stan Wawrinka and Angelique Kerber. As expected, the final Grand Slam of the year did not disappoint the fans. During two weeks of engrossing tennis, the tournament also saw several historic moments, great victories, shocking upsets and even the emergence of new stars.
We also many greats suffer disappointing exits – Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andy Murray etc while Venus Williams continued to defy age and reached the 4th round where she was thwarted by Karolina Pliskova, one of the stars of the tournament.
There were encouraging signs of the ‘Gentle Giant’ Juan Martin del Potro returning to his best after a superb run to the quarterfinal. There were also controversies and shocking incidents. We try and revisit some of the lasting moments from US Open 2016:-
10) Arthur Ashe stadium debuts a new roof
Some of the best tennis players in action was not the only attraction at Flushing Meadows this year. A new retractable roof over the Arthur Ashe stadium debuted this year, making it an all-weather court.
The roof, work on which began in 2011, was built over the current Arthur Ashe Stadium to create the look as if it was built during the original stadium construction. Designed by famous architectural firm Rossetti, the roof takes 20 minutes to open and close.
The roof was used for the first time during Nadal’s 6-0, 7-5, 6-1 second round victory over Andreas Seppi.
9) Bernard Tomic’s astonishing rant
Another noteworthy incident in the first couple of days of the US Open was Bernard Tomic’s astonishing rant at a spectator who was heckling him during his first round loss to Bosnia’s Damir Dzumhur. As Dzumhur prepared to serve for the first set, Tomic was heard directing a foul-mouthed rant at a spectator which had Dzumhur stop his service motion. He backed it up with another comment towards the spectator who left soon after.
Needless to say, it lightened the 23-year-old’s pockets by a record $13,300.
8) Gael Monfils takes down Gilles Muller and a clock
The entertaining Frenchman has a track record of producing memorable moments. Monfils certainly did that and more during his first round win over Gilles Muller of Luxembourg.
When Muller hit a smash during the first set, Monfils decided to bring out his athletic best and try and meet the ball which bounced high over his head. Though he managed to meet the ball, the court space ran out forcing him to land on the match clock, which did not fare well.
The clock immediately came crashing down, narrowly missing Monfils’ ankle and broke into smithereens. Classic Gael Monfils!
7) Serena Williams eclipses Martina Navratilova, Roger Federer & co
The great champion that Serena Williams is, it was no surprise when she broke the career Grand Slam win records of Martina Navratilova and Roger Federer. Though she failed to win a record 23rd title at Flushing Meadows this year, she will take solace in the fact that Navratilova’s all-time female record of 306 Grand Slam wins and Roger Federer’s mark of 307 wins were eclipsed.
She broke Federer’s record with the fourth round win over Yaroslava Shvedova.
Serena extended the record to 309 before Karolina Pliskova upset her in the semifinals. Then again. breaking records is child’s play for the 34-year-old.
6) Murray meltdown vs Nishikori
The reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champion came to New York high on confidence and was seen as the favourite with Novak Djokovic not in his best form. All factors considered, he was the odds-on favourite to beat Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinal.
But when Nishikori put up a strong fight that saw the match being stretched to the fifth set, Murray lost his cool and entered into peak ‘meltdown’ mode. He is not always the most composed of players but this was another level altogether.
He ranted and raved at a Public Announcement system malfunction, seethed at some of the decisions by the umpire and ultimately slammed his racquet into the net when he was broken in the fifth set with Nishikori standing only a few feet away. In the end, Murray lost the match and Nishikori marched off to the semifinals.
5) Del Potro ‘blesses’ the umpire !
Juan Martin del Potro’s return to form was eagerly anticipated by the fans, to say the least. To see the ‘gentle giant’ play near his best after a career-threatening wrist injury was heartening.
The Argentine reached the quarterfinals where he was defeated in four sets by the eventual winner Stanislas Wawrinka. He had not lost a set in the tournament until the quarterfinal.
As usual, the tennis was enthralling between Wawrinka and Delpo but there was camaraderie between the points. One of the lasting moments during the match during the first set tiebreak which Delpo lost.
During that tiebreaker, he argued with the umpire that Wawrinka challenged a call too late, then, true to his gentle nature, wound up playfully rubbing the chair umpire's (bald) head. He lost the match but left with a smile on his face.
4) Angelique Kerber usurps ‘Queen Serena’
As far as Grand Slam results go, 2016 is certainly Angie Kerber’s. Not only did she win two major titles, she also ended Serena’s record-equalling 186-week long reign as the Women’s No.1.
She did so after beating Caroline Wozniacki in the semifinals, which coupled with Serena’s loss to Pliskova meant the 28-year-old Kerber would be the new queen of tennis. She followed it up defeating Pliskova in the final to win the second Grand Slam of her career.
Rightly, she celebrated the win with her index finger pointed up, reasserting her position on top of the sport.
3) Djoker rips apart Monfils and his shirt !
Novak Djokovic had a weird moment in his semifinal victory over Gael Monfils when he played the final point of the third set which he lost with his shirt ripped open. After winning the first two sets, Djokovic was left frustrated by the Frenchman in the third set.
The Serb went on to rip apart his jersey and ended the set with his ripped shirt. He changed his shirt and went on to win the match 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 with his shirt on and intact for a change.
After the match when he was asked why he ripped it off, a smart Djokovic said he had no idea why!!
2) Goodbye, Louis Armstrong stadium!
The main stadium of the US Open until 1996, the Louis Armstrong stadium hosted its last match when Spain’s Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez took on the Bryan brothers in the final of the men’s doubles. The Spaniards walked away with the title, signalling the end of the legendary stadium which will be demolished soon in order to build a new one with a roof for the 2018 US Open.
It was a poignant moment for the connoisseurs who witnessed several brilliant matches in the stadium including the classic women’s final between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles in 1995 and the 1988 final between Mats Wilander and Ivan Lendl.
1) 3/3 for Wawrinka
31-year-old Stanislas Wawrinka had reached two Grand Slam finals before this year’s US Open and had won both of them. He kept his 100% record unblemished after a 4-set victory over Novak Djokovic and denied the Serb a third major title this year. Though Wawrinka lost the first set, he played scintillating tennis to take the next 3 and clinch a 6-7, 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 win. In the process, he became the oldest champion in New York since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970.
Djokovic had to resort to a dubious medical timeout in the final but could not overcome the conviction of the Swiss who landed his third Grand Slam of his career.
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