ATP US Open 2026 Stefanos Tsitsipas revés a una mano

It's over: the one-handed setback loses a battle that lasted 149 years

Fernando Murciego - 7 Sep 2026
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It's over: the one-handed setback loses a battle that lasted 149 years. Source: Getty

Let’s not kid ourselves; we knew this day would come sooner or later. The 2026 US Open will go down in history as the stage for the end of one of the longest streaks in tennis history. For the first time since 1877, no player with a one-handed backhand will reach the semifinals of a Grand Slam in the same season. Stefanos Tsitsipas' defeat to Ben Shelton in the fourth round has confirmed the end of the record.

Since the first Wimbledon in history, held in 1877, there had always been at least one player capable of reaching the semifinals of any Grand Slam that year using a one-handed backhand. For almost 150 years, the stroke survived all transformations of the sport: from wooden tennis to carbon, from amateurism to professionalism, from serve and volley to the absolute dominance of the game from the baseline.

Tsitsipas, farewell to the last hope

The Greek knew before starting the tournament that he bore more than just his own aspirations in New York. He was the last player with a one-handed backhand remaining in the men's draw of the US Open after Denis Shapovalov's elimination, and he needed to reach the semifinals to keep the tradition alive. In fact, he had publicly taken on the challenge: “I have a 150-year streak to save.”

But it wasn’t meant to be. Shelton won 6-2, 6-3, and 6-4, sending Tsitsipas out of the tournament on a night that will be remembered for a reason that goes far beyond the result. The American not only ended the Greek's journey but also put an end to a tradition that had survived intact since the 19th century.

The fact becomes even more relevant given the current context. The one-handed backhand has been losing presence in the elite for years, with fewer and fewer players capable of competing at the highest level with this shot. Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Grigor Dimitrov, Tsitsipas, and Lorenzo Musetti have been some of its great representatives in the modern era, but 2026 marks a turning point. The US Open thus ends a streak that seemed eternal. From 1877 to 2025, there was always a survivor. In 2026, for the first time, there are none left.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Se acabó: el revés a una mano pierde una batalla que duraba 149 años