First Champions
On Friday, the top seeded duo of Sania Mirza and Bruno Soares claimed the first US Open trophy when they beat Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez for the mixed doubles title. Makarova/Vesnina won the women's doubles title and the Bryan brothers won the men's title.
Speaking of the Bryan brothers…
The Bryan brothers passed yet another career mark, capturing their 100th career title and their 5th US Open trophy on Sunday. They are now tied with Richard Sears and James Dwight for the most US Open doubles titles in history.
Too Darn Hot!
In the first women's semifinal on Friday, Caroline Wozniacki advanced when China's Peng Shuai was overcome by the heat. After a playing a set-and-a-half of hard-hitting tennis featuring lots of long rallies, Peng appeared to be cramping and was helped off the court by the trainers. She returned after nearly ten minutes and tried to continue playing, but fell to her hands and knees near the baseline. She was forced to concede the match, trailing 6-7, 4-3. Watching a Grand Slam semifinalist collapse on the court and get wheeled off in a wheelchair isn't a pretty scene, but official statements from the tournament shortly after the incident confirmed that Peng was doing better and recovering nicely.
Women's Champion – Sweet 18
On Sunday, Serena Williams swept past her good friend Caroline Wozniacki to capture her only Slam of the 2014 season and her 18th Slam title overall. After a rough season, it was great to see Serena bounce back with a dominant—if not spotless—win. With the title in hand, Serena is now tied with Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time Slam list.
Opening the Floodgates?
Today's men's singles final will mark the first time in nine years that a Grand Slam final hasn't featured Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, or Murray. According to ATP stats guru Greg Sharko, it is also the first time since 1966 that the US Open's top two seeds lost in the seminfinals. While there will definitely be a new member of the men's Grand Slam club after tonight, the big question is whether this will open the floodgates for other players to step up and claim their Grand Slam prize in what has otherwise been an era of unrivaled dominance.