The US Open 2024 and the possibility of being resolved with two rookie champions

Lifting the title in a Grand Slam tournament is the pinnacle for any tennis player, and many chase a dream that has eluded great players throughout history. At the US Open 2024, we might see some debut champion, but what is most notable is that it is not unlikely for us to witness the first title for both a woman and a man, something that has only happened 12 times in history.

Many who follow the day-to-day tennis news and fervently live through everything that happens in major tournaments are accustomed to dominant careers like those of the Big 3 and Serena Williams, not even remembering eras much more prone to surprises. While there may be new empires in the making, such as those of Alcaraz, Sinner, or Swiatek, this US Open 2024 keeps open the possibility of seeing both a man and a woman win their first Grand Slam title.

- What are the real chances of the US Open 2024 having two debut champions?

The fall of many top favorites in the men's draw may lead us to think that we are facing a unique opportunity to see a new player lifting a Grand Slam title. The winner of the match between Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev will be the only remaining men's stronghold who already knows what it takes to win a major.

Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will battle each other for a unique opportunity, while De Miñaur and Draper aim to keep their dream alive. It is evident that whoever emerges victorious between the Italian and Russian will be the top favorite for the title, but the possibility of witnessing a new player win a Grand Slam is not to be underestimated.

Regarding the women's draw, it seems more challenging to imagine that neither Aryna Sabalenka nor Iga Swiatek will become champions. Everyone dreams of a final between the Belarusian and the Polish player, but nothing is guaranteed in a circuit full of equality and talent. Pegula, Muchova, Haddad-Maia, and Navarro have strong arguments to make it possible for a new player to inscribe their name in golden letters in the history of world tennis.

- How many times have there been double debut champions in a Grand Slam tournament throughout history?

We have to go back to the early 21st century to find the most recent examples of a major with two new champions. The last case was at Roland Garros 2004, a precursor to Nadal's era. There, Gastón Gaudio and Anastasia Myskina triumphed, but their success was fleeting as they did not contend for another title of this magnitude. A year earlier, also at Roland Garros, Justine Henin and Juan Carlos Ferrero opened their personal accounts, with Ferrero's victory being the only one.

Other instances of this occurred at Roland Garros 1974 (Evert and Borg), Roland Garros 1976 (Baker and Panatta), Roland Garros 1977 (Vilas and Jausovec), Australian Open 1977 (Melville and Tanner), US Open 1979 (McEnroe and Austin), Australian Open 1980 (Teacher and Mandlikova), Roland Garros 1989 (Arantxa and Chang), Roland Garros 1990 (Seles and Gómez), US Open 1990 (Sampras and Sabatini), and Roland Garros 1997 (Kuerten and Majoli).

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El US Open 2024 y la posibilidad de que se resuelva con dos campeones debutantes