US Open: records broken and super numbers

At Flushing Meadows the curtain should fall on Serena Williams’ amazing career, at the last tournament of her professional life, in front of her beloved crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium, where she will seek the 24th Grand Slam.

The Novak Djokovic-vaccine affair, which for weeks has been inflaming his fans against his haters. And then the return of the big stars to the US stage. For these reasons the US Open 2022 is probably one of the most anticipated sporting events of the year.

Richard Sears, William Larned and Bill Tilden hold the record for titles won in men’s singles (7). In women’s singles, Molla Bjurstedt Mallory is the most successful tennis player with her 8 titles (absolute record in men’s and women’s singles).

Richard Sears is the one who has won more consecutive editions of men’s singles (7), while Molla Bjurstedt Mallory, Helen Jacobs and Chris Evert are those who won more consecutive editions of the women’s singles (4). Sears also holds the record for titles won in men’s doubles (6), along with his countryman James Dwight.

Sears and Dwight also have the record of titles won consecutively in the men’s doubles (6). In women’s doubles, Margaret Osborne du Pont holds both the record of wins (13) and the record of consecutive victories (10). In mixed doubles, the most successful players among men are Bill Tilden, Bill Talbert, Owen Davidson and Bob Bryan, with 4 titles. The most successful woman in the mixed doubles is duPont, with 9 titles.

Ken Rosewall is the oldest men’s singles winner (in 1970 at 35 years-old, 10 months and 11 days), while Molla Bjurstedt Mallory is the oldest women’s singles winner (in 1926 at 42 years-old and 5 months). With 5 hours and 26 minutes, the 1992 match between Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang is the longest-ever played in US Open history.

Jimmy Connors is the player who played more matches among men (115), while Chris Evert is the player who played more matches among women (113). In 2009, Kim Clijsters won the tournament as a wild card. Pete Sampras is the youngest men’s singles champion (1990, at 19 years-old and 28 days), while Tracy Austin is the youngest women’s singles champion ever (1979, at 16 years-old, 8 months and 28 days).

Bill Tilden is the player with the most overall victories among men (16, divided as follows: 7 men’s singles, 5 men’s doubles and 4 mixed doubles). DuPont is the tennis player with the most overall and absolute women’s victories (25, so divided: 3 women’s singles, 13 women’s doubles, 9 mixed doubles).