How well do you know the U.S. Open, the final Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year, set to commence on Monday? Test your knowledge with this quiz:
1st Round: Defending Champions Gauff and Djokovic
Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic will be challenging to defend their titles at the 2023 U.S. Open. Gauff claimed her first Grand Slam trophy, while Djokovic secured his 24th. Who was the last player to win at least two consecutive championships at Flushing Meadows?
a.) Rafael Nadal
b.) Serena Williams
c.) Roger Federer
d.) Maria Sharapova
2nd Round: The inaugural match under the Arthur Ashe Stadium roof
The U.S. Open implemented a retractable roof over Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2016. Who lost the first U.S. Open match that was played indoors?
a.) Andreas Seppi
b.) Fabio Fognini
c.) Paolo Lorenzi
d.) Thomas Fabbiano
3rd Round: Equal prize money in the U.S. Open
The U.S. Open was the first major sporting event to provide equal prize money to both female and male athletes. What year did the U.S. Tennis Association pay women’s and men’s singles champions the same prize?
a.) 1963
b.) 1968
c.) 1973
d.) 1978
4th Round: Iga Swiatek ranked No. 1 in WTA
Iga Swiatek will take the No. 1 seed at the U.S. Open as she has maintained her position at the top of the WTA rankings for over 115 weeks. At just 23 years old, the 2022 U.S. Open champion is nearing the record for the seventh-most weeks in the top spot. Who holds the record for the most weeks at No. 1 in WTA history?
a.) Chris Evert
b.) Martina Navratilova
c.) Serena Williams
d.) Steffi Graf
Quarterfinals: Nadal vs. Federer at the U.S. Open
Rafael Nadal will miss the U.S. Open for the fourth time in five years, while Roger Federer, who retired in 2022, faced off against Nadal a total of 40 times, including 14 at Grand Slam events. How many times did they play against each other at the U.S. Open?
a.) Five
b.) Three
c.) One
d.) Zero
Semifinals: Rare hard-court Grand Slam double
Last year, Aryna Sabalenka came within one win of achieving both hard-court Grand Slam titles; after winning the Australian Open, she was the runner-up to Coco Gauff at the U.S. Open. Sabalenka claimed victory at Melbourne Park again in 2024. Who was the last woman to win both the Australian Open and U.S. Open in the same year?
a.) Angelique Kerber
b.) Martina Hingis
c.) Serena Williams
d.) Monica Seles
Final: Alcaraz aims for three consecutive Grand Slam titles
Carlos Alcaraz, at age 21, already holds four Grand Slam titles, including the French Open and Wimbledon victories. If he wins the U.S. Open, he will join which player as the only other man since Rod Laver’s calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969 to win in Paris, London, and New York in the same year?
a.) Roger Federer
b.) Novak Djokovic
c.) Rafael Nadal
d.) Bjorn Borg
Answers
1st Round: b. Serena Williams, who won three U.S. Opens consecutively from 2012 to 2014. The last man to win two consecutive titles was Roger Federer, who captured five titles from 2004 to 2008.
2nd Round: a. Andreas Seppi lost to Rafael Nadal, 6-0, 7-5, 6-1 at Ashe in the second round on August 31, 2016. This match was briefly delayed while the roof was closed.
3rd Round: c. The U.S. Open initiated equal pay in 1973 after Billie Jean King received $10,000 for winning the 1972 tournament, while Ilie Năstase, the male champion, was awarded $25,000.
4th Round: d. Steffi Graf holds the record for the most weeks ranked No. 1 at 377, followed by Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams, and Chris Evert.
Quarterfinals: d. Nadal and Federer never faced each other at the U.S. Open. In head-to-head matches at other Grand Slams, Federer leads at Wimbledon, while Nadal leads at both the Australian Open and French Open.
Semifinals: a. Angelique Kerber was the last woman to win both titles in the same year, having defeated Serena Williams at the Australian Open and Karolina Pliskova at the U.S. Open in 2016.
Final: c. Rafael Nadal was the last man to win the last three majors in 2010, a feat not seen since Laver’s 1969 Grand Slam.