The US Open at Flushing Meadows has a long and storied history.
As the final Grand Slam of the year on the tennis calendar, it gives players the chance to turn a difficult season into a great one, or a good campaign into one of the best a player will experience in their career.
For this reason, the US Open has also seen numerous dramatic finals in both the men’s and women’s singles.
Here, we rank five of the best.
5. Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi (1995)
Andre Agassi came into the 1995 US Open as defending champion.
Besides being taken to five sets by Spaniard Alejandro Corretja in the second round, he’d had a smooth run to the final, beating the likes of Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker on the way.
Awaiting him in the tournament’s climax was the two-time champion and the man who had beaten him in the final five years before, Pete Sampras.
The contest between the two Americans who were at the top of the sport at the time produced some sparkling moments, including a mesmeric 22-shot rally that Sampras won with a wonderful cross-court backhand to claim the first set.
It would set Sampras on his way to his third US Open crown, as he ultimately came out on top in four sets.
4. Serena Williams vs Victoria Azarenka (2012)
Heading into the 2012 tournament, Serena Williams was looking to claim her fourth crown in New York.
Unsuccessful in the singles at Flushing Meadows in the prior three editions of the tournament, it looked as though the American would fall short at the final hurdle in 2012 as well.
At 5-3 down in the final set, Williams somehow found another level in what had already been a top-class final.
She won the final four games of the set to claim a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory.
3. Andy Murray vs Novak Djokovic (2012)
What a way for Andy Murray to get over the heartbreak he had suffered at the hands of Roger Federer at Wimbledon.
Murray had come close to his maiden Grand Slam as he headed to Flushing Meadows in 2012, but was ultimately still without one to his name.
Off the back of his Olympic success, he maintained the form he had shown in the previous months, reaching the final in New York for the second time.
A day after Williams’ epic with Azarenka, Murray then created history, becoming the first British man to win a singles major since Fred Perry in 1936.
After going two sets up against defending champion Novak Djokovic in the final, Murray did it the hard way, eventually coming out on top 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2.
Relief was the overriding emotion that washed over the now-retired 38-year-old as he finally got over the Grand Slam hump.
Meanwhile, Djokovic would put that disappointment behind him to claim three more singles titles in New York.
Still ranked in the top 10, Djokovic also has a good chance at the 2025 US Open as he seeks that elusive 25th Grand Slam crown.
2. Steffi Graf vs Monica Seles (1995)
The narrative around Steffi Graf’s final with Monica Seles at the 1995 US Open was arguably bigger off the court than it was on it.
The two players had formed a brilliant rivalry in previous years, with Seles having the upper hand at Grand Slams in particular.
Unfortunately, however, this was put on hold, potentially never to return, as Seles was stabbed by a crazed Graf fan in April 1993.
Incredibly, in her first tournament back after that incident, at the 1995 US Open, she made the final.
Meeting her old rival Graf once again, Seles put up a brilliant fight, showing flashes of the player who had won eight Grand Slam titles between 1990 and 1993.
She would ultimately fall short in three sets against her German opponent, but not without pushing her all the way first.
1. John McEnroe vs Bjorn Borg (1981)
Another rivalry for the ages, John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg had already played one Grand Slam final against each other in 1981 at Wimbledon.
On that occasion, McEnroe got the better of the Swede, avenging his defeat from the previous year at SW19.
They would push each other to new heights in New York, with Borg fighting down from two sets down to level against the American.
The feisty McEnroe found something extra in the tank in the fifth and final set, however, ultimately running out 7-6, 6-1, 6-7, 5-7, 6-4, much to the delight of the home crowd.
McEnroe would repeat the feat in 1981 as well, again beating Borg to claim his third successive US Open crown.