The 2021 edition of the US Open, which welcomed fans back into the fold, quickly developed into an embarrassment of riches. We lost count of the number of comebacks-from-two-sets-down and third- and fifth-set breakers that decided matches. Each new day seemed to bring a new “Best Match” contender. In years past, the list was limited to five. This year we have no choice but to expand it to 10, along with a list of matches you probably didn’t see, but also deserve to be called out.
Special mention: Among her other achievements, Leylah Fernandez, US Open finalist, could very easily have placed four matches in this Top 10 list. It was tough to edit out any of her thrilling, three-set battles, but ultimately we tried to spread the love around a bit.
Leylah Fernandez def. Aryna Sabalenka, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 (women’s semifinal)
After already having battled her way through consecutive three-set wins over No. 5 Elina Svitolina, No. 16 Angelique Kerber, and No. 3 Naomi Osaka, the teen Fernandez—who turned 19 as the second week of the Open dawned—showed that she had no intentions of exiting, even as the stakes rose. The diminutive Canadian rebuffed the big Belarussian’s power onslaught and figured out a way to win with guile, street smarts, and sheer heart to advance to the final as an unseeded upstart.
Carlos Alcaraz def. Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 0-6, 7-6 (men’s Round 3)
The match that opened our eyes and let us know that teens would be a force in the 2021 US Open. Alcaraz, the 18-year-old wunderkind from Murcia, Spain, came out blistering the ball—the No. 3 Greek would later see he’d never seen anyone hit so hard. There was no escape from Alcaraz, who never cowed and managed huge swings in momentum to come out on top—and showed that he is a force to be reckoned with. Now.
Sloane Stephens def. Madison Keys, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6 (Round 1)
A rematch of the 2017 women’s final, right off the bat in the first round in Flushing. This topsy-turvy match set the tone for a wild and woolly Open, with Keys very nearly scoring revenge on her friend and the former champion. But in the end, Stephens, looking fleet and dangerous again, notched the edgy win.
Shelby Rogers def. Ashleigh Barty, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (women’s Round 3)
Rogers, the congenial American 28-year-old, had never beaten Barty. But she took to this night match in Ashe as though she had something to prove, at least to herself. On her sixth attempt, Rogers pulled off the stunning upset of the 2021 Wimbledon champion with an incredible comeback in the final set. Down 2-5, Rogers reeled off four straight games and outplayed the Aussie in the final-set tiebreak. The American played a smart tactical match and kept her emotions in check to set the US Open on its upset-laden course.
Stefanos Tsitsipas def. Andy Murray, 2-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 (men’s Round 1)
The match that launched a thousand bathroom jokes, as Tsitsipas took his sweet time in the can and annoyed the veteran Murray, who played an utterly sensational, gritty, and resourceful match on a metal hip. As Murray would say in his press conference after the match, it was a shame he had to talk about bathroom breaks and not about how improbable his tennis was over five sets, or how great the flying Greek was.
Leylah Fernandez def. Elina Svitolina, 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (women’s quarterfinal)
It seemed that the shot-making teen couldn’t play a match that wasn’t an instant classic. This one, a quarter against the No. 5 seed (and the woman most agree is the best player on tour never to have won a Slam), was a shootout. Fernandez withstood the pressure and it was Svitolina, the newly married Marvelous Mrs. Monfils, who cracked in the final-set breaker.
Jannik Sinner def. Gael Monfils, 7-6, 6-2, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4 (men’s Round 3)
This match put the stoic 20-year-old Tyrolean up against one of the game’s greatest showmen, the Frenchman with athleticism and acrobatics to burn. For two sets, the Italian defused Gael’s gregarious game, but Monfils found a fifth and then a sixth gear and appealed to the Louis Armstrong Stadium crowd to have his back. That they did, roaring at every opportunity and willing the Marvelous Mr. Monfils (it works both ways!) back into the match. There was shotmaking and show-making galore, but ultimately the youngster discovered a reservoir of resolve in the face of massive obstacles to eek out a victory.
Frances Tiafoe def. Andrey Rublev, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1 (men’s Round 3)
In a late-night night match on Ashe—ending at 2:14am—the 50th-ranked American Tiafoe went full-on LeBron, riling up a raucous crowd and pummeling the ball to upset the No. 5 seeded Russian, a favorite of many to reach the final. By match’s end, after three hours and 45 minutes of battle, Tiafoe was ripping off his shirt and high-fiving fans.
Botic van de Zandschulp def. Diego Schwartzman, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 5-7, 6-1 (men’s Round 4)
A Dutch qualifier, ranked No. 117, recorded a stunning upset over the 11th seeded Argentine, who always plays above his stature. Under the roof on Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Dutchman held off what seemed certain to be one of those classic two-sets-from-behind comebacks. Van de Zandschulp played flawless ball for two sets, then looked out of it after the fourth. Miraculously, the man playing his first US Open on his first visit to New York upended expectations to advance to the quarterfinals, where he proved he wasn’t a fluke, taking the only set off No. 2 Daniil Medvedev in the Russian’s road to the final.
Daniil Medvedev def. Novak Djokovic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 (men’s final)
Though a straight-sets win can’t compete with the others listed here in terms of time on court, twists and turns, or dramatic comebacks, Medvedev’s unexpected thrashing of Djokovic, one small step from a Grand Slam and 21st major, is a match for the history books.
