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The US Open 2024 was an exciting affair and came to a close on Sunday, September 8. Aryna Sabalenka defeated Jessica Pegula 7-5, 7-5 in the final to win her first title at the venue, and her third Major title in singles. She's now 27-1 at hardcourt Majors since last year, with her only loss coming against Coco Gauff in last year's summit clash in New York.
Jannik Sinner pipped home favorite Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the championship round to secure his first US Open title. This marked his second Major title following his triumph at the Australian Open earlier this year. His latest victory has put him in a great position to end the season atop the rankings for the first time in his career.
It wasn't a surprise to see Sabalenka and Sinner walk away as the champions given their recent form. However, a few of their contemporaries failed to perform at their usual level and bowed out earlier than expected. With that in mind, here's a look at five of the most unexpected results from this year's US Open:
#5 - Iga Swiatek
Swiatek lost 6-2, 6-4 to Pegula in the quarterfinals here. In a shocking performance, the top seed committed around 40 unforced errors to crash out of the tournament. A last-eight finish at a Major is quite respectable, though given the bar the Pole has set for herself, it's quite underwhelming.
Pegula was the second-best player on hardcourts this summer, winning the Canadian Open and losing to Sabalenka in the finals of the Cincinnati Open and the US Open. However, Swiatek beat the American 6-1, 6-0 in their previous encounter at the WTA Finals 2023.
Swiatek also led the head-to-head 6-3 prior to their match here and ousted her in the quarterfinals en route to the title here two years ago. As such, she was still expected to trounce Pegula so this result was a little surprising.
#4 - Coco Gauff
Gauff's title defense at the US Open came to an end against Emma Navarro in the fourth round with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 loss. She also lost to her compatriot in the fourth round of Wimbledon a couple of months ago.
After a slow start to her hardcourt swing this summer, Gauff looked to be rounding into form in New York. However, Navarro once again proved to be a thorn in her younger rival's side to stun the defending champion in spectacular fashion.
#3 - Novak Djokovic
Djokovic's mission of capturing a 25th Major title remained unfulfilled this year. He lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open, withdrew prior to his quarterfinal duel at the French Open, and was the runner-up at Wimbledon.
Since Djokovic won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, one expected him to carry over that form in New York. However, he was sent packing by Alexei Popyrin in the third round, his earliest exit in New York since losing in the third round here in 2006.
This also marked the Serb's earliest defeat at a Major since he was knocked out in the second round of the Australian Open in 2017. Given his track record at the Majors, one always expects Djokovic to make it far, so his loss certainly surprised everyone.
#2 - Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz was on the top of the world after winning the French Open and Wimbledon this year. He came quite close to securing the gold medal at the Paris Olympics but lost to Djokovic in the final.
The young Spaniard, a former US Open champion as well, arrived at the season's final Major on the heels of a second-round exit from the Cincinnati Open. He made it that far in New York, as well as being beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp in straight sets in the second round.
This marked Alcaraz's first loss prior to the quarterfinals of the US Open and his earliest exit since losing in the same round at Wimbledon three years ago. Given his reputation as a big-match player, this was one of the most shocking upsets in recent times.
#1 - Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas' record at the US Open is rather dire but a first-round exit from this year's edition marked another low for him. While this wasn't the first time he faltered at the opening hurdle, he was expected to make it past the often-injured Thanasi Kokkinakis at the very least.
However, Tsitsipas instead slumped to a four-set loss. His career record here now stands at 6-7, which is in stark contrast to his results at the other hardcourt Major. The Greek has a 24-7 record at the Australian Open and was the runner-up Down Under in 2023.
