The 5 Best Men’s Finals of the U.S. Open

• Mats Wilander d. Ivan Lendl – 1988 Finals

This match was played on a Monday, which unfairly diminished its impact. It is right up there on the short list of the most compelling tennis matches of all time. At four hours and 55 minutes, it holds the record of being the longest singles final in US Open history. Lendl was invincible at the US Open by then, having won the three previous finals.

However, Wilander was in the midst of his career year and in no mood to relent. A win in the final would earn him the No. 1 ranking for the first time in his career and make him one of the few men in tennis history to win three majors in the same year. The match was a brilliant struggle in which each player brilliantly switched tactics each time his opponent seemed to gain an upper hand.

Games were fought over like sets and both players committed minimal unforced errors . Moreover, underdog-giant feel to the match only enhanced the occasion. Winning the match took so much out of Wilander that he soon went into a motivation and rankings swoon from which he never really recovered.

About the author

Sarang Bargale