With the current suspension of the ATP and WTA Tours, USOpen.org is reliving some of the biggest tennis matches in the tournament's history in photos. In our latest featured match, we look back at the 2006 US Open men's final between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick. Watch the full match on the US Open YouTube channel.
Heading into the 2006 US Open, Roger Federer had already captured seven titles on the year, including the Australian Open, Wimbledon and three ATP Masters Series tournaments. The world No. 1 continued his dream season in New York, where he won his third straight championship by defeating 2003 champion Andy Roddick in the final.
It was a history-making performance for the Swiss great. With his victory over Roddick, Federer became the first man to win three consecutive US Open titles since Ivan Lendl in 1987, as well as the first man in the Open era to win three straight Wimbledon and US Open championships in the same year.
Federer’s 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 triumph also gave the 25-year-old Swiss his ninth career Grand Slam title, moving him past Andre Agassi and Fred Perry into sixth place on the all-time list of major titles won, and five titles behind Pete Sampras’ then-record of 14 Slam championships.
Here’s a look back in photos at Federer’s history-making win over the former American No. 1.
Two-time defending champion Federer came into the Open with a 10-1 career record against Roddick. He had reached finals at the three other majors in 2006, winning titles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon and finishing runner-up at Roland Garros. Federer was only the sixth man in history to reach all four Grand Slam finals in one calendar year, and he was just the second man in the Open era to do so since Rod Laver won the calendar-year Grand Slam in 1969.
Roddick had his career breakthrough at the US Open three years earlier, when he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 final. He is one of three men, along with Stefan Edberg and Andy Murray, to win both the US Open junior title (2000) and the men's championship (2003).
The American was playing in his first Grand Slam tournament since hiring five-time men’s champion Jimmy Connors as his coach after a third-round loss at Wimbledon. He had dropped out of the Top 10 for the first time in almost four years that July, before compiling an 18-2 record after teaming up with Connors over the summer.
Federer dropped only one set en route to the final—a four-set quarterfinal victory over No. 7-ranked American James Blake. He knocked off Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets in the semifinals to set up his clash with Roddick.
No. 10-ranked Roddick survived a five-set challenge from Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in the third round and later beat 2001 champion Lleyton Hewitt in the quarterfinals and Mikhail Youzhny in the semifinals on his run to the final.
Federer went up, 5-0, in the first set, before Roddick finally won a game. He claimed the first set, 6-2, in less than a half hour.
The momentum swung to Roddick in the second set, with the American breaking Federer early and utilizing his powerful serve to level the match at one set all.
In a dramatic third set, Roddick had four break-point opportunities in game five but couldn’t convert on any and then saved five break points in game six to hold serve. The players remained on serve until game 12, when Federer broke to take a two-sets-to-one lead.
Federer cruised through the fourth set, dropping just one game, before wrapping up the victory in two hours, 26 minutes.
"I'm glad it all worked out because tonight was very difficult against Andy,” said Federer, who finished with a 27-1 record in Grand Slam play in 2006. “I'm really happy to see him back at the top, and I'm really happy to play against him."
"It's been a rough year, and the past two weeks make it all worthwhile," said Roddick after the match.
Federer, who showed off his new trophy to Tiger Woods after the match, went on to win titles in New York the next two years. His five straight men’s championships, from 2004-08, are a record at the tournament. Always a fan favorite in the Big Apple, the Swiss great has compiled an 89-14 overall record and earned more than $13 million in prize money in the 19 US Opens he has played to date.
