8 greatest US Open epics ever played: Reliving Flushing Meadows at full volume

There is a special kind of energy at the US Open. The crowds are loud, the late-summer heat is thick, and matches routinely drag deep into the night with fans sticking around until the very last point.

Some matches become legendary because they last forever, and some stick in your mind because of a crazy comeback, sheer pressure or the superstar players involved. The real classics have all of that at once.

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Flushing Meadows has given us some of the greatest battles in tennis history. Players have pushed through agonizing cramps, illness, injuries, massive deficits and brutal rallies. Others have survived the kind of intense pressure that can make or break a career.

These weren’t just long matches, they were unforgettable. Every single one had a moment that set it apart. Some featured crazy comebacks, others shattered all-time records and a few changed the sport forever because of what went down on and off the court.

Here are the eight greatest US Open epics ever played in advance of this year’s main draw, which begins Aug. 30.

8. John McEnroe def. Bjorn Borg, 1980 final

Score: 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-7 (5), 5-7, 6-4
Duration: 4 hours, 13 minutes

The 1980 US Open final was another chapter in one of tennis’ greatest rivalries. John McEnroe lost to Bjorn Borg in their famous Wimbledon final just two months earlier. This time, he got his revenge.

McEnroe controlled the opening stages. He won the first set in a tiebreak and then took the second set 6-1. Borg refused to fold. The Swede took the third set and then came back from a difficult position in the fourth.

McEnroe had a chance to close out the match in the fourth set. Borg broke back and forced a decider. The fifth set finally went McEnroe’s way, giving him a 4-hour, 13-minute victory.

The win also damaged Borg’s reputation as an almost unbeatable player in five-set matches. Their rivalry would continue into 1981, when McEnroe beat him again in New York.

6. Steffi Graf def. Monica Seles, 1995 final

Score: 7-6 (6), 0-6, 6-3
Duration: 1 hour, 53 minutes

The 1995 final carried enormous emotional weight. It marked Monica Seles’ first Grand Slam tournament after she survived an on-court stabbing in 1993.

Seles reached the final without dropping a set. Waiting for her was Steffi Graf, her longtime rival and one of the best players in the sport.

Graf won a tense opening set in a tiebreak. Seles then produced one of the most surprising sets of the tournament. She beat Graf 6-0 in the second set.

The final set belonged to Graf. She won it 6-3 and claimed the title.

The match also showed the contrast between their games. Graf used her slice backhand and inside-out forehand. Seles attacked with her powerful two-handed groundstrokes and sharp angles.

5. Pete Sampras def. Alex Corretja, 1996 quarterfinal

Score: 7-6 (5), 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7)
Duration: 4 hours, 9 minutes

Few US Open matches have shown such extreme physical suffering. Pete Sampras was badly dehydrated and became ill during the match.

The defining moment came during the fifth-set tiebreak. Sampras vomited at the back of the court at 1-1. Somehow, he kept going.

Alex Corretja had a huge chance to win. He hit his third and final double fault on match point in the fifth-set tiebreak. That mistake handed Sampras a lifeline.

Sampras then produced one of the most memorable shots of the match. Despite struggling to stay on his feet, he hit a 124 mph ace at 3-3 in the tiebreak.

He finished the match with 25 aces. The victory showed just how far Sampras could push himself when a match was on the line.

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4. Jimmy Connors def. Aaron Krickstein, 1991 fourth round

Score: 3-6, 7-6 (8), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
Duration: 4 hours, 41 minutes

Jimmy Connors was 39 years old when he faced 24-year-old Aaron Krickstein. Instead of slowing down, he turned Arthur Ashe Stadium into one of the loudest scenes in US Open history.

Krickstein looked ready to win after taking a 5-2 lead in the fifth set. Connors refused to give up. The New York crowd pushed him forward as he fought his way back.

The match eventually reached a fifth-set tiebreak. Connors won it 7-4 and completed one of the most famous comebacks in tournament history.

His aggressive play also stood out. Connors hit 70 winners, excluding serves. He used 33 combined volleys and overheads to keep points short.

The victory came on his birthday. That made the night even more memorable.

3. Pete Sampras def. Andre Agassi, 2001 quarterfinal

Score: 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (2), 7-6 (5)
Duration: 3 hours, 32 minutes

This match was a serving battle from the first point to the last. Sampras and Agassi were two of the biggest names in tennis, but neither player could break the other’s serve.

There were four sets. Every set ended in a tiebreak.

Not one service game was lost during the entire match. That made the contest a rare statistical outlier and a remarkable display of serving under pressure.

Sampras had also built an 87-game consecutive service hold streak heading into the tournament’s final.

Every point mattered. A few missed shots could decide an entire set. In the end, Sampras won all four tiebreaks and escaped with a straight-sets victory in the only sense that mattered.

3. Martina Navratilova def. Steffi Graf, 1991 semifinal

Score: 7-6 (2), 6-7 (6), 6-4
Duration: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Martina Navratilova’s 1991 semifinal against Steffi Graf is remembered as one of the great “last stands” in US Open history. Navratilova, in her mid-30s and long removed from her peak years, pushed past prime Graf in three tight sets.

Serve-and-volley vs. modern baseline power was the visual headline. Navratilova attacked the net relentlessly, charging behind slice serves and chipped approaches, forcing Graf to come up with passing shots under pressure. Graf, barely missing a beat, threaded backhands up the line, used her forehand to open the court.

The crowd’s role cannot be overstated. New York threw itself behind Navratilova, cheering every successful volley and groaning at each missed chance. Graf, as she often did, played through it with minimal expression, letting the quality of her ball-striking answer the noise. For Navratilova, this was one of the last deep singles runs at a major and a reminder of how her attacking game could still translate against the new era’s dominant force.

2. Novak Djokovic def. Roger Federer, 2011 semifinal

Score: 6-7 (7), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 7-5
Duration: 3 hours, 51 minutes

This semifinal is remembered for one shot.

Novak Djokovic had already fought back from two sets down. Roger Federer then moved ahead 5-3 in the fifth set and reached double match point at 15-40 on his own serve.

The match looked finished.

Djokovic responded with a stunning cross-court forehand return winner. The shot changed everything. He won the next four games and completed one of the greatest comebacks of his career.

It was also the second straight year that Djokovic had saved two match points against Federer in a US Open semifinal.

The loss was especially painful for Federer. It was only his second Grand Slam defeat after taking a 2-0 lead in sets.

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1. Carlos Alcaraz def. Jannik Sinner, 2022 quarterfinal

Score: 6-3, 6-7 (7), 6-7 (0), 7-5, 6-3
Duration: 5 hours, 15 minutes

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner produced one of the longest and most dramatic matches in US Open history.

The quarterfinal lasted 5 hours and 15 minutes. It finished at 2:50 a.m., setting a record for the latest finish in tournament history. The previous record was 2:26 a.m.

The match had almost everything. Both players attacked from the baseline with huge power. Neither player slowed down even after hours on court.

Alcaraz saved a match point in the fourth set. He then fought back after falling behind in the deciding set and completed the win.

The numbers show how close the match was. Alcaraz won 199 points compared with Sinner’s 183. The pair also combined for 119 winners, with Sinner hitting 61 and Alcaraz producing 58.

The match ended in the early morning, but the quality never dropped. It became an early glimpse into the rivalry between two players who would shape the next era of men’s tennis.