Some players seemingly came out of nowhere to win their first-ever Grand Slam singles title at the US Open. For others, lifting their first trophy in New York was long overdue and, more often than not, a matter of “when” rather than “if.”
We take a look at the players who won their first major title at the US Open and examine what led to their success in the Big Apple and what came next in their careers.
On paper, Svetlana Kuznetsova was a long shot to win the 2004 US Open. She had appeared in just one major quarterfinal in her three-year career, and she had lost in the first round of three of the past seven Grand Slams.
To many casual observers, the No. 9 seed was a solid all-court player in a stacked field of solid all-court players. She was a good clay-courter and an effective doubles partner with no major holes in her games but someone who lacked the consistency to really challenge the game’s elite players. That was the narrative, at least.
But those who had followed her rise up the ranks that season sensed something big was coming.
She defeated three of the Top 7 seeds, including No. 2 Venus Williams, in reaching the Dubai final in February 2004, and she earned her first win over a current world No. 1 by beating Justine Henin in Doha the following month, a tournament that would propel her to a then career-high No. 14 in the world.
Runs to the championship match in Warsaw in April and Eastbourne in June meant that she had reached a final on three different surfaces in just the first half of the year. By now she had broken into the Top 10 and had an outside chance of medaling for Russia at the Athens Olympics, where she ultimately lost a three-set decision to second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo in the quarterfinals.
In New York, however, the stars aligned. The 19-year-old dropped just one set in seven matches—she rallied from a set down to beat an injured Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals—and dispatched five seeded players, including compatriots Nadia Petrova in the quarters and world No. 6 Elena Dementieva in the final. In interviews in the following years, she referred to that win as her “big breakthrough,” and for good reason.
The champ ended 2004 at No. 5 in the world and went on to spend a total of 281 consecutive weeks inside the Top 20 before eventually dropping out—to No. 21—in July 2010.
During that time, Kuznetsova experienced even more success. She won the 2009 French Open after reaching the quarterfinals or better in the three previous years, and she reached Grand Slam singles finals in Paris (2006) and New York (2007).
Asked in Melbourne in January 2005 if she felt added pressure as a first-time Slam champion, Kuznetsova said lifting the trophy in Arthur Ashe Stadium had the opposite effect.
“I feel pretty comfortable. I feel good. I feel that I already did something, so I think it's even take some pressure off me,” she said. “And I'm come here, I want just enjoy here, play good tennis.”
In the 17 Grand Slam events between Kuznetsova winning her first major title in 2004 and her second, and last, Slam trophy at Roland Garros five years later, the Russian reached five quarterfinals, a semifinal and two championship matches. She peaked at No. 2 in the world, not bad for a girl who dreamed as a junior of winning the Orange Bowl.
In her almost two-decade career, Kuznetsova has won 153 Grand Slam singles matches and amassed more than 650 victories on Tour. She’s defeated world No. 1s, from Dinara Safina and Amelie Mauresmo to Serena Williams, reached women’s doubles finals at all four majors, contested the semifinals at the year-end Tour Finals twice and been inducted into the Russian Tennis Hall of Fame. With more than $25 million in career earnings, Kuznetsova is one of the most successful players of her generation, and she’s still going strong.
It all began with a persistent drive to succeed and a remarkable breakout performance at the US Open.
“When I was [ranked No.] 30, I was like, ‘No, no, no, I have to do hard. I have to do better. I have to do better,’” Kuznetsova said in 2004. “I was 10, ‘No, I want to do better.’ All the time, I find new goals for me. I think it's the most important thing, just to live for something.
“You shouldn't go to the tournament if you don't believe you can [win]. Depends what you want to do in your life, you know. Some players, playing tennis just to earn money; some players just to do it because their parents want it; some players do it just to do something in their life. I want success. I want to do something, you know. I really want people to remember my name.”
