7 teenagers to have won a Grand Slam title in the Open Era

#6 Pete Sampras: 19 years 111 days (1990 US Open)

Pete Sampras

One of only two players (Rafael Nadal being the other) to win a Grand Slam tournament in his teens, 20s and 30s, Pete Sampras made his Major breakthrough at the 1990 US Open with a win over countryman Andre Agassi in the final.

Making his 8th appearance in a Grand Slam tournament, then World No. 12 Sampras arrived at the 1990 US Open on the back of an 11-match winning run. The winning momentum helped Sampras negotiate the early rounds at Flushing Meadows for the loss of just one set before he reached his first Major quarterfinal.

Against three-time champion Ivan Lendl, Sampras took the first two sets before the then World No. 3 fought back with the next two to force a fifth. Sampras regained his ascendancy in the decider, riding on two breaks of the Lendl serve to book a last-four meeting with four-time champion and countryman John McEnroe.

Once again, Sampras made the faster start against a former winner, opening a two-set lead before McEnroe claimed the third. Sampras made sure he didn't have to go the distance for the second consecutive match as he downed his illustrious countryman 6-3 in the fourth to set up a title clash with another countryman.

Agassi had lost in the Roland Garros final earlier in the season to Andreas Gomez, but this was uncharted territory for Sampras playing his first Major final. Sampras served like a dream and volleyed superbly to keep Agassi pinned to the baseline, as the younger of the two Americans completed a straight-sets win in one hour and 42 minutes to become the 28th different Grand Slam champion in the Open Era.

Sampras remains the youngest champion at the US Open, and the only teenager in the Open Era to triumph at the last Grand Slam tournament on the tennis calendar.