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NEW YORK – When 17-year-old Serena Williams beat defending champion Lindsay Davenport in the 1999 US Open semifinals, she was asked what it was like to qualify for her first major final.
“It’s really amazing. I mean, you’re totally preparing for this,” she replied. “I’ve always been the type to say, ‘I want to win the US Open. I want to.'”
After 19-year-old Canadian Leylah Fernandez defeated No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the US Open semifinals on Thursday, she looked a lot like Williams in 1999: “Nothing is impossible. There is no limit to what I can do. I’m just glad that things are going well right now. “
Williams’ match against Switzerland’s Martina Hingis, 18, was the last time two teenagers met in a major final. Fernandez and Britain’s Emma Raducanu, 18, will change that on Saturday in the US Open women’s final – bringing a trait also possessed by teenage girls who broke 22 years ago.
“[In 1999], I saw the same calm with [Williams and Hingis]”said Rennae Stubbs, a former ESPN tennis player and analyst.” Great champions need to be cool. They have to have the ability to handle the big moments, and those two had amazing careers after that. “
It doesn’t matter who wins the title on Saturday, a new teenager will be crowned US Open champion. And the tournament has a long list of teenage champions who have enjoyed successful careers, the latest being Canada’s Bianca Andreescu, who defeated Serena Williams in 2019.
As Fernandez and Raducanu seek to write their own story, here’s a look at all the teenagers who won the US Open during the Open era.
Tracy Austin, 1979 and 1981 US Open
Age: 16 years, 270 days (1979)
Nationality: American
At 16 years and nine months, American Tracy Austin became the youngest US Open champion of the Open era. Her achievement is even more incredible because of the player she beat: reigning four-time champion Chris Evert – in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. Two years later, the then-seeded Austin beat Martina Navratilova in straight sets, 1-6, 7-6, 7-6, to reclaim the title. The two US Open titles ended up being the highlights of his career.
Steffi Graf, US Open 1988
Age: 19 years, 89 days
Nationality: German
Steffi Graf’s year in 1988 was one for the history books. At 19, she became the first tennis player to win a Golden Slam, winning all four Grand Slam titles, as well as the Olympic gold medal in Seoul, South Korea. She remains the only person in the history of sport to have accomplished the feat. She beat Gabriela Sabatini 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 at the US Open, becoming the third woman after Margaret Court and Maureen Connolly Brinker to win a Grand Slam tournament.
Pete Sampras, 1990 US Open
Age: 19 years, 29 days
Nationality: American
The only male tennis player on this list, 19-year-old Sampras was seeded No.12 at the 1990 US Open, having lost in the first round at Wimbledon that year. He flew largely under the radar before beating Ivan Lendl in the quarter-finals and John McEnroe in the semi-finals. In the final, he beat Andre Agassi in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, winning his first Grand Slam title. This victory launched his career and he went on to win a record 14 major titles, which was surpassed in 2009 by Roger Federer.
Monica Seles, 1991 and 1992 US Open
Age: 17 years, 280 days (1991)
Nationality: American
By the time she was 17 and reached the 1991 US Open, Seles had already won two major championships. At the US Open, Seles, who was ranked No. 2 in the world, beat the then No. 1 Martina Navratilova in straight sets 7-6, 6-1, winning her third Grand Slam title and replacing Navratilova as world No.1. She followed a huge year in 1991 with an even better year in 1992, reaching the four Grand Slams finals, becoming the sixth woman to do so and defending her title at the US Open, beating Spain’s Arantxa Sanchez Vicario 6-3 , 6-3, to win his seventh Grand Slam title at the age of 19.
Martina Hingis, 1997 US Open
Age: 16 years, 342 days
Nationality: Swiss
At just 16, Hingis reached the final of the four Grand Slam tournaments in 1997, becoming the youngest woman and the seventh woman in history to do so. She also became the youngest woman to win three majors in a year in 1997. In the US Open final, she won a dominant victory over Venus Williams 6-0, 6-4 and did not lose a single set throughout the season. tournament.
Serena Williams, US Open 1999
Age: 17 years, 350 days
Nationality: American
Williams beat then-No. 1 Martina Hingis in straight sets, 6-3 7-6, which propelled her to world stardom overnight. She became the first African-American woman to win a Grand Slam title in the Open era.
“I was in the locker room, because I was still playing doubles, and Serena came in front of her [third-round] match against Kim Clijsters. She said: ‘I win this match because you did well in the semifinals [at Wimbledon] and I’m going to win this tournament and beat you, “recalled former tennis player Alexandra Stevenson, who reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1999.” So I wasn’t surprised that she won [the] US Open at all. Serena likes to do stuff like this. She’s very competitive and she turned the tide and won the Open. “
Age: 19 years, 76 days
Nationality: russian
Kuznetsova dominated the entire tournament, losing just one set – to Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals – in the entire tournament before winning the title. She beat compatriot Elena Dementieva 6-3, 7-5, becoming the third Russian woman after Maria Sharapova and Anastasia Myskina to win a Grand Slam title.
Maria Sharapova, US Open 2006
Age: 19 years, 144 days
Nationality: russian
After beating then-No. 1 Amélie Mauresmo, the 19-year-old Russian took on Justine Henin, who became the eighth woman to make the four Grand Slam finals in a calendar year. Sharapova won the final in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, becoming the second Russian teenager after Kuznetsova to win the US Open title. It was his second Grand Slam title after winning Wimbledon at age 17 in 2004.
Bianca Andreescu, US Open 2019
Age: 19 years, 83 days
Nationality: Canadian
Andreescu had a dream run at the 2019 US Open, then beating No. 19 Caroline Wozniacki and Belinda Bencic en route to the final. There, she faced multi-Grand Slam champion and crowd favorite Serena Williams, who was making her comeback after the birth of her daughter. Andreescu won the match in straight sets, 6-3, 7-5, robbing Williams of her 24th Grand Slam title and a chance to tie Margaret Court’s record.
“To make this a reality, it’s so crazy,” Andreescu said moved at his post-match press conference. “I guess these visualizations really, really work.”
Notable teenager wins other three Grand Slam tournaments
Martina Hingis, Australian Open 1997: Hingis won five titles before she was 20, and it all started with the 1997 Australian Open when she was just 16. She beat Mary Pierce in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, without losing a set the entire tournament. And she became the youngest woman to win a Grand Slam title since Lottie Dod won Wimbledon in 1887 – 110 years before.
Rafael Nadal, French Open 2005: At 19, Nadal beat Mariano Puerta 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5 to win his first Roland-Garros and his first Grand Slam title. He followed this with a record 13 titles at Roland Garros in his career.
Boris Becker, 1985 Wimbledon: Becker, 17, arrived as an unranked player and beat three top 10 players to win his first Grand Slam championship. He became the first unranked player to win Wimbledon.
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