New York in September is basically a pressure cooker with better outfits. By the time the final weekend of the 2024 US Open rolled around, the humidity was thick, the celebrities were front-row, and the narrative was clear. We were looking for someone to finally own the hard courts.
Honestly, the 2024 US Open winner didn't just win a trophy; they ended a conversation. Two conversations, actually. On the men’s side, Jannik Sinner silenced a summer of controversy and noise. On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka finally kicked the "runner-up" ghost to the curb. It was a tournament defined by power, sure, but mostly it was about who could hold their nerve when 23,000 people in Arthur Ashe Stadium were screaming for the other person.
The Ice Man Cometh: Jannik Sinner’s New York Takeover
Jannik Sinner. The name sounds like a luxury watch, and he plays like one too. Precise. Unflappable.
Before the tournament even started, Sinner was under a microscope. News had just leaked about his successful appeal over a doping controversy involving Clostebol from earlier in the spring. People were talking. Some players were grumbling. He could have folded. Instead, he just kept hitting the ball harder than everyone else.
His final against Taylor Fritz was supposed to be the Great American Hope moment. Fritz was the first American man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Roddick in 2009. The crowd wanted a miracle. Sinner gave them a clinic. He won 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
It wasn't even as close as the 7-5 third set suggests. Sinner won 88% of his first-serve points. Think about that for a second. If he got his first serve in, the point was basically over. Poor Fritz was left chasing shadows. The American did manage to get a 5-3 lead in the third set, and for about ten minutes, the stadium was shaking. Then Sinner just... stopped missing. He reeled off four straight games to ice the match.
Why the 2024 US Open Winner Mattered for Italy
You've got to understand the history here. No Italian man had ever won the US Open. Ever. Sinner didn't just break a drought; he destroyed it. By winning both the Australian Open and the US Open in 2024, he became only the fourth man in history to sweep the hard-court majors in a single season. He joined the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Mats Wilander.
That is elite company.
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He stayed focused on his "team" and his family, specifically dedicating the win to his aunt who was dealing with health issues. It was a rare human moment for a guy who usually looks like he was built in a lab to hit backhands.
Aryna Sabalenka and the Redemption Arc
While Sinner was being a robot, Aryna Sabalenka was being a force of nature.
If you watched the 2023 final, you remember. She had it. She was winning. Then Coco Gauff and the New York crowd happened, and Sabalenka crumbled. Coming into 2024, everyone wondered if she had the "it" factor to close out a final in Flushing Meadows.
Breaking the Pegula Wall
Jessica Pegula is tough. She's the kind of player who doesn't give you anything for free. She was 30 years old, playing in her first major final, and had the entire state of New York (and her Buffalo Bills fans) behind her.
Sabalenka didn't care.
The match was a 7-5, 7-5 bruiser. It was loud. It was messy. Sabalenka raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set, and it looked like a blowout. Then, in classic WTA fashion, Pegula stormed back to lead 5-3. Last year, Sabalenka might have thrown her racket. This year? She just locked in.
- Winners: Sabalenka hit 40.
- Unforced Errors: She also hit 34.
- The Difference: She didn't let the errors stop her from swinging.
She became the first woman since Angelique Kerber in 2016 to win both hard-court Slams in the same year. It’s a feat of incredible physical endurance. Most players are gassed by the time the US Open starts. Sabalenka looked like she could have played another three sets.
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What Most People Get Wrong About the 2024 Results
There’s this idea that Sinner and Sabalenka won because the "old guard" wasn't there. That's kinda nonsense.
Novak Djokovic was there. He lost to Alexei Popyrin in the third round. Carlos Alcaraz was there. He got stunned by Botic van de Zandschulp in the second. The 2024 US Open winner didn't win by default. They won because they were the only ones who didn't blink when the draw opened up.
Sinner’s path wasn't easy. He had to go through Daniil Medvedev—the human backboard—in the quarterfinals. That was the real final for many fans. Sinner outlasted him in four sets, proving his fitness is finally at the level of his ball-striking.
The Numbers That Actually Count
Let's look at the "hidden" stats that defined the champion's run.
In the men's final, Sinner won 60 baseline points to Fritz’s 32. He doubled him up. In modern tennis, if you are that much better from the back of the court, the other guy needs a 140 mph serve just to stay alive. Fritz has a big serve, but it wasn't enough to bridge a gap that wide.
For Sabalenka, it was about the net. She won 18 points at the net compared to Pegula’s 5. People think of Aryna as just a "basher," but her willingness to move forward and finish points is what actually won her the title. It’s the nuance that most casual viewers miss.
Surprising Moments You Might Have Missed
The 2024 tournament wasn't just about the winners. It was also the year of the "Midnight Express."
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We had the latest start in tournament history when Sabalenka and Ekaterina Alexandrova didn't even take the court until 12:08 AM. They finished at nearly 2:00 in the morning. Then you had the Qinwen Zheng and Donna Vekic match that ended at 2:15 AM.
The players were exhausted. The fans were caffeinated. It was pure chaos.
And yet, through all that scheduling mess, the two best hard-court players in the world still found a way to be the last ones standing. It speaks to a level of professionalism that's honestly kind of scary.
Actionable Insights for the Next Season
If you’re a tennis fan or even a casual bettor looking toward the 2025 season, the 2024 US Open winner results gave us a roadmap of what to expect:
- Hard Court Specialization is Real: Sinner and Sabalenka have separated themselves from the pack on this surface. Until Alcaraz finds more consistency or Iga Swiatek figures out the faster New York courts, these two are the benchmarks.
- Mental Resilience over Raw Talent: Fritz and Pegula had the talent to win. They lacked the experience of having "been there" in a Sunday final. Experience is the one thing you can't coach.
- The Serve is King (Again): Sinner’s improved serve was the catalyst for his entire 2024. If a player’s serve percentage drops below 60% against top-tier opponents, they are essentially dead in the water.
The 2024 US Open was a turning of the page. The era of the Big Three is effectively over, and the era of the "Clinical Giants" has begun. Sinner and Sabalenka didn't just win New York; they planted a flag.
To keep up with how these champions fare in the upcoming season, you should track their performance in the Australian Open tune-up events. Watching how Sinner handles the pressure of being the hunted rather than the hunter will be the biggest storyline of the new year. Keep an eye on his first-serve percentage in the opening rounds; it's the most reliable "tell" for his current form.