2023 US Open review: Champions crowned in New York City

Monday 11 September 2023 by Jonathan Victoria  Features

Another brilliant edition of the US Open is complete, and away comes two brilliant competitors as champions in the men’s and women’s categories.

The spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium were treated to some brilliant tennis action as it was two hard-fought finals on Saturday and Sunday.

But the tournament as a whole was enthralling, with upsets and surprises during each round.

Join us as we review the 2023 US Open.

Men’s singles

Novak Djokovic picked up his 24th grand slam title after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final, a replay of the 2021 US Open final when Medvedev beat Djokovic for his first (and to date only) title.

Despite winning in straight sets, it was a hard-fought affair. The second set alone took one hour and 44 minutes, and if it had gone Medvedev’s way, who knows what could’ve happened.

The Serbian was at his best once again, though. Even at 36 years old, he is playing at a level that only one man can seemingly match - the young Carlos Alcaraz who beat him in the Wimbledon final this year.

Unfortunately, the tennis world was denied another Djokovic-Alcaraz final matchup after the Spaniard was knocked out in the semi-finals by Medvedev.

Don’t think that we’re undermining Medvedev here, as he was a worthy finalist. He played a brilliant tournament, who routed every on of his opponents leading up to the final, going to four sets three times.

Even Djokovic fared slightly worse than that. He was given a scare in round three, taken to five sets by fellow countryman Laslo Djere after being two sets down. That was the only hiccup, though, as he won every other match in the tournament in three.

Ultimately, what more can you say about the guy? He is the undisputed goat, standing alone in the men’s game with 24 titles and not looking like he is going to slow down. He also now has retaken the number one spot from Alcaraz 

He is more than likely going to win his 25th career title next year, probably in Australia to do it straight away. The Serbian looks as hungry for titles as ever, and he’s more than likely going to try to go for the calendar Grand Slam (winning all four Grand Slam tournaments in one year).

Women’s singles

The home fans were left reeling after one of their own reigned victorious in New York. 

19-year-old Coco Gauff took the torch that was passed onto her by her idol Serena Williams and won her first career grand slam title, beating this year’s Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka in three sets.

Gauff had a couple of scares in earlier rounds, being taken to three sets on three occasions prior to the final. 

Sabalenka was having an easier time up until the semi-final when she came up against another American in Madison Keys, who was right on the verge of knocking her out as she won the first set and the next two went to tiebreakers.

No doubt Sabalanka having to work that hard the day before the final played a part in her losing, but that shouldn’t and doesn’t take anything away from Gauff, who played a brilliant game on Saturday.

Gauff started slowly but once she grew into the game, she was able to wear down her opponent and win in front of the raucous home crowd, who positively erupted after her winning shot.

With the win, Gauff becomes the first American teenager to win the US Open since the all-time great female champion Serena Williams.

Her win also takes her up to third in the world, while Sabalenka can take first in the world as a consolation prize.

What's left this year?

There are still some prizes up for grabs this season, with multiple smaller ATP events still yet to be played leading up to the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, where the top eight men’s singles players will compete for the biggest prize pot of the year. That will be held from the 12th to the 19th of November.

There are also international competitions set to be played. The Laver Cup, which is intended to be the Ryder Cup of tennis, sees Team Europe face off against Team World. That will take place across the weekend of the 24th of September.

The Davis Cup is also up for grabs. The World Cup of tennis, as it’s known, is holding the group stage this week, with the winning nations going through to the finals, which will take place from the 21st to the 26th of November.

On the women’s singles side, the WTA Finals will take place from the 29th of October to the 5th of November and will be held in the beautiful Cancun, Mexico. Replicating the men’s ATP Tour Final, it will feature the top eight players.