Despite the off-court noise that made headlines around the world, the 2026 US Open ultimately belonged where it should: on the tennis court.
Particularly, and rather wonderfully for America, it was a fortnight of firsts, comebacks and history. It was a tournament that will be remembered long after the last Honey Deuce cups have been cleared from Flushing Meadows.
Some of the off-court headlines became distractions. Resale ticket prices, influencer etiquette, complaints about marijuana smells drifting into the stadium from nearby Corona Park and the growing debate around late-night match scheduling all featured prominently.
The latter is likely to remain a talking point into the next season. The quarter-final between Ben Shelton and Carlos Alcaraz, which ended at 03.34, became the latest finish in US Open history. Calls for change will understandably continue.
But ultimately, tennis prevailed.
Despite the distractions, and the absence of world No 1 Jannik Sinner, the 2026 US Open delivered a memorable collection of moments.
American tennis rewrote the history books
Fittingly, home crowds had plenty to celebrate. Ben Shelton produced a historic run, becoming the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since 2003, He also became the first black American man to reach a US Open men’s singles final since Arthur Ashe. The men’s singles semi-final between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe was historic in its own right. It was the first time two Black American men had faced each other in a US Open singles semi-final.
History-makers Venus and Serena Williams also returned to the US Open as doubles partners for the first time since 2022. Their presence brought a huge sense of nostalgia and star power. Although they lost in the first round to Maya Joint and Hao-Ching Chan in front of a capacity crowd on Arthur Ashe, the Williams sisters gave fans flashes of vintage brilliance, pushing the match to a deciding tie-break, creating one of the liveliest atmospheres of the tournament.
Chicagoan Taylor Townsend completed a career Grand Slam in women’s doubles, winning her first US Open title alongside Katerina Siniakova.
In the men’s doubles, American Christian Harrison lifted the trophy with Neal Skupski. The American success continued in the junior draw, where Marcel Latak became the first American boy to win the US Open boys’ singles title in 11 years. The last American junior to achieve the feat was Taylor Fritz in 2015.
Marathon matches provided more tennis
This year, fans were treated to a series of marathon matches. Theygot more than their money’s worth as intense battles unfolded across both the men’s and women’s draws. Many matches went deep into deciding sets, producing the kind of drama that kept spectators in their seats, and viewers around the world awake, long into the night.
Women’s tennis at its finest: Four Top Seeds, One Historic Moment
Unusually but rather perfectly, the top four women seeds (Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff), all reached the semi-finals, making history. It was the first time in 51 years that the top four women’s seeds had reached the US Open semi-finals. The previous occasion came in 1975, when Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Martina Navratilova and Evonne Goolagong reached the final four.
Rybakina ultimately claimed her maiden US Open title by defeating defending champion Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2.
New Champions Rise with first US Open Titles for Zverev and Rybakina
Alexander Zverev and Elena Rybakina both won their maiden US Open singles titles, bringing new names to the trophies.
Zverev defeated Ben Shelton in four sets to claim his second Grand Slam title, while Rybakina overcame Sabalenka to win her first title in New York. Zverev’s victory also made him the first German man to win the US Open since 1989.
For Shelton, defeat was painful, but his run still represented a major breakthrough for American men’s tennis.
Largest prize money in professional tennis history
This year’s US Open was monumental in its reward. The USTA offered a record total prize pool of $108 million, the largest in tennis history. Zverev and Rybakina each earned $5.5 million for their singles victories, while the runners-up, Shelton and Sabalenka, received $2.8 million each.
The men’s and women’s doubles champions shared $1 million per team. That meant Harrison and Skupski, as well as Townsend and Siniakova, collected $500 000 each.
The mixed doubles champions, Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, also shared a $1 million prize.
In wheelchair singles, champions Alfie Hewett and Yui Kamiji each received $104 000.
Federer, the maestro returns
Roger Federer brought star power to this year’s US Open as the highlight of Fan Week. The Swiss maestro faced his former rival Andy Roddick in an exhibition match and won 6-3, delighting fans inside the stadium.
Federer’s appearance also helped drive demand for special-edition RF merchandise, with queues winding around the grounds. It was a fitting celebration of his enduring popularity, followed by his long-awaited and much-deserved induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
A final bow from Stan Wawrinka
The tournament also marked an emotional farewell to another Swiss favourite: Stan Wawrinka. The 2016 US Open champion played his final Grand Slam match against Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in front of a packed Grandstand Stadium.
The Swiss single-handed backhander delighted the crowd by pushing Berrettini to tie-breaks in the opening two sets. The Italian eventually fought back to win the match, but Wawrinka’s farewell was about far more than the result. It was the closing chapter of a remarkable career; one defined by courage, charisma, a magnificent backhand and the ability to produce his best tennis on the biggest stages.
The 2026 US Open may have been surrounded by noise, controversy and late-night debate, but it will be remembered as the US Open where history took centre stage, and the starts and stripes shone bright.
Amisha Savani is reporting exclusively for The South African from the 2026 US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York
