Season finale set to serve up a smash hit
Rafael Nadal’s impressive win at Flushing Meadows last Sunday marked the Spaniard’s third career US Open crown, and his first hardcourt title since 2014. In an outcome that few could have foreseen at the beginning of the season, Nadal and Roger Federer have shared this season’s Grand Slam spoils, each winning two Slams this year.
Current world No. 1 Nadal completed the sweep when he ended the exciting run of big-serving South African Kevin Anderson in the final in New York. The victory marked the latest chapter in a remarkable tale that has seen both Nadal and Federer turn back the clock against all odds this year, further cementing their positions as two of the all-time greats in our sport. Nadal added the New York title to his record 10th Roland Garros win in Paris in June, while Federer claimed wins at the Australian Open in January and a record eighth Wimbledon in July. The two icons are now set to battle it out for the season-ending No. 1 ranking with the year culminating at the Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 in London in November.
The US Open draw allowed for some new names to present themselves on a big stage and most notable among them was Russian teenager Andrey Rublev. The 19-year-old came into the Open after a significant win at the Plava Laguna Croatia Open in Umag in July, an ATP World Tour 250 tournament. The Russian reached the quarter-finals in New York before his run was ended by Nadal, and now lies in second place in the Race to Milan.
There was disappointment in New York for Alexander Zverev, who was surprised in the second round by fellow rising star Borna Coric. The early loss by Zverev, who was seeded fourth at Flushing Meadows, was only a minor setback in a summer run that saw him claim his second career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title with victory over Federer at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal in August. Elsewhere, American teenager Frances Tiafoe delighted the New York crowd with his fiveset first round battle with Federer, with the Swiss Master just holding on for the win 6-4 in the fifth.
Young guns
Highly-talented Canadian Denis Shapovalov also identified himself as a young player to watch as he reached the fourth round as a qualifier, before eventually falling to Pablo Carreno Busta, who went on to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final before losing to Anderson. Shapovalov had captured the imagination of his home fans in Montreal earlier in the summer, with a thrilling run to the semi-finals of the Rogers Cup as a wild card.
There was also a significant win on the ATP World Tour for the talented Grigor Dimitrov, who captured his first career ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The Bulgarian capped an excellent tournament with a win over Nick Kyrgios in the final. The win puts Dimitrov in a strong position as a contender to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time in his career.
The focus of the Tour now switches to the all-important run to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in London and the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan. The upcoming Asian swing is anchored by the Shanghai Rolex Masters, while the European indoor season brings the regular season to a close at the Rolex Paris Masters. With so many points available and with qualification at both the Nitto ATP Finals in London and the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan still wide open, the battle to qualify will intensify in the coming weeks as players look to secure their spots at our season-ending showpiece tournaments.