2008 US Open (tennis)
The 2008 US Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 128th edition of the US Open, and the fourth and final Grand Slam event of the year. It took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York City, United States, from August 25 through September 8, 2008.
The men's defending champion, Roger Federer, won the US Open for a fifth consecutive time. Justine Henin, the women's defending champion, did not return to defend her title due to her retirement from tennis, for personal reasons, earlier in the year. Serena Williams was the champion on the women's side, winning her third US Open title; she had last won the event in 2002. Federer and Williams's opponents, Andy Murray and Jelena Janković, were making their débuts in Grand Slam finals. World number ones Rafael Nadal and Ana Ivanovic went out in the semifinal and second round, respectively. This was Nadal's best ever result at the US Open; for Ivanovic, it was her second early exit at a Grand Slam since her win at the 2008 French Open.
The home nation had success; Serena Williams was the first American to win a singles title since Andy Roddick in 2003. Twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan won their second US Open title, and Liezel Huber won the women's doubles with Zimbabwean Cara Black.
Preparations
The International Tennis Federation and United States Tennis Association offered audiences a number of new ways to access the Open in 2008. A YouTube channel was set up to broadcast highlights, and the official US Open website featured hourly updates of what was happening at the tournament. Multiple matches could be accessed at any one time, on handheld video devices courtesy of American Express. In celebration of the 40th anniversary since the US National Championships became "open" to professionals, a special opening ceremony was held, showcasing all the singles champions of the previous 40 years, with over two dozen of them in attendance. The ceremony was hosted by actor Forest Whitaker and included musical performances from funk band Earth, Wind & Fire. In addition to this, fans were shown nightly video tributes, and a commemorative book was published. On August 23, the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day was held; Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, James Blake, Novak Djoković, Ana Ivanovic, and Serena Williams led the player participation. Musical acts including the Jonas Brothers and Sean Kingston performed on this day as well.Men's and women's singles players
;Men's Singles;Women's Singles
Day by day
Day by day summaries of the men's and women's singles events, with men's, women's, and mixed doubles exits also listed. Both the men's and women's singles draw are composed of 128 players, with 32 of these players seeded.Day 1
Seeds progressing on the first day of play included David Ferrer, Andy Murray, David Nalbandian, Stanislas Wawrinka, Gilles Simon, Philipp Kohlschreiber, and Gaël Monfils. Recent Olympic gold medalist, and new World No. 1 Rafael Nadal, who acknowledged that he was suffering from fatigue post-match, advanced after being tested by qualifier Björn Phau; and Juan Martín del Potro, who entered the Open on a run of nineteen consecutive wins, and who, over the course of this run, had become the first player in ATP history to win his first four titles in as many tournaments, beat fellow Argentine Guillermo Cañas. Together Nadal and del Potro had completed the longest winning streaks on the tour in 2008, with Nadal's run having extended to 32 matches. Americans James Blake and Donald Young treated the home crowd to a match spanning five sets, in one of the scheduled night matches, with Blake emerging as the victor. Juan Mónaco and Feliciano López were the only seeds who failed to progress.In the women's competition, Jelena Janković, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Marion Bartoli, Victoria Azarenka, Patty Schnyder, Caroline Wozniacki, Francesca Schiavone, Anabel Medina Garrigues, Katarina Srebotnik, and Sybille Bammer all made safe passage into the second round. Nadal's Olympic counterpart, Elena Dementieva, made hard work of her win against Akgul Amanmuradova, and former champion Lindsay Davenport, playing the US Open for the first time since her return to the sport from a break due to motherhood, beat recent Bank of the West Classic winner Aleksandra Wozniak in a comfortable two sets. Seeded losers included 2007 semifinalist Anna Chakvetadze, who lost to Ekaterina Makarova, making this her worst Slam finish in three years; Maria Kirilenko, who lost to Tamira Paszek; and Shahar Pe'er, who lost to Li Na 2–6, 6–0, 6–1.
- Seeded players out: Juan Mónaco, Feliciano López; Shahar Pe'er, Anna Chakvetadze, Maria Kirilenko
Day 2
World No. 1 and top seed Ana Ivanovic, who had recently returned from injury, began her campaign with a hard fought win over Vera Dushevina, coming through 6–1, 4–6, 6–4. The Williams sisters Venus and Serena, both former champions, advanced with relative ease, as did in-form player and US Open Series winner Dinara Safina. Agnieszka Radwańska, Ágnes Szávay, Flavia Pennetta, Alizé Cornet, Nadia Petrova, Nicole Vaidišová, Alona Bondarenko, Dominika Cibulková, and former world number one Amélie Mauresmo all scored victories to enter the second round. However, eleventh seed Daniela Hantuchová suffered a heavy defeat by qualifier Anna-Lena Grönefeld, and thirty-first seed Virginie Razzano was also beaten.
- Seeded players out: Mikhail Youzhny , Tomáš Berdych, Richard Gasquet, Nicolas Kiefer; Daniela Hantuchová, Virginie Razzano
- Seeded players out: Paul Hanley / Jordan Kerr
Day 3
On Day 3, the remaining men's first round matches were completed. Third-seeded Novak Djoković, who had won the Australian Open earlier in the year, won in straight sets against Arnaud Clément, but was hampered by an ankle injury, for which he received courtside treatment. Andy Roddick produced a sterling performance to defeat Fabrice Santoro 6–2, 6–2, 6–2, and Nikolay Davydenko, who entered the tournament on a poor run of form was, by his own admission, surprisingly efficient in dispatching Dudi Sela 6–3, 6–3, 6–3. Nicolás Almagro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Radek Štěpánek, and Marin Čilić won their matches to claim places in the second round, meaning that no seeds were knocked out on Day 3.In the women's second round matches, Elena Dementieva, Patty Schnyder, Marion Bartoli, Victoria Azarenka, Caroline Wozniacki, Lindsay Davenport, Katarina Srebotnik, and Sybille Bammer all recorded routine victories to reach the third round. Two players who faced greater resistance from their opponents were Jelena Janković and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Janković, playing against Sofia Arvidsson, had match points in the second set, and eventually came through 6–3, 6–7, 6–4. The match, which lasted two hours and forty-four minutes, left Janković unable to complete her warmdown. Kuznetsova meanwhile, had to come back from being 4–2 down to Sorana Cîrstea in the first set, before winning in two. Fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva, a bronze medalist at the Olympic Games, lost to Tatiana Perebiynis; Francesca Schiavone lost to Anne Keothavong, making Keothavong the first British woman to reach the third round of the US Open since Jo Durie's run at the 1991 Open; and Anabel Medina Garrigues lost to recent Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie.
- Seeded players out: Francesca Schiavone, Vera Zvonareva, Anabel Medina Garrigues
- Seeded players out: Jeff Coetzee / Rogier Wassen, Mariusz Fyrstenberg / Marcin Matkowski; Eva Hrdinová / Vladimíra Uhlířová, Květa Peschke / Rennae Stubbs, Maria Kirilenko / Flavia Pennetta, Yung-jan Chan / Chia-jung Chuang, Nathalie Dechy / Casey Dellacqua
Day 4
In the second set of women's second round matches, world number 188 Julie Coin provided one of the biggest shocks of the tournament, as she defeated Ana Ivanovic, the World No. 1, 6–3, 4–6, 6–3. It was the earliest exit made by a top seed at the tournament since Maria Bueno's second round loss at the 1967 U.S. National Championships, before the beginning of the Open Era. Ivanovic, who made a similarly unexpected exit at the Wimbledon Championships, conceded that she was not playing to the standard of a world number one. Coin set up a clash with Amélie Mauresmo, who bypassed the threat of Kaia Kanepi 2–6, 6–4, 6–0. Venus Williams eased to victory over Rossana de los Ríos 6–0, 6–3, and sister Serena won in similar fashion versus Elena Vesnina, 6–1, 6–1. A top ten seed who had greater problems progressing was Dinara Safina, who was troubled by her own unpredictable manner of play in defeating Roberta Vinci 6–4, 6–3; Agnieszka Radwańska, Nadia Petrova, Flavia Pennetta, Alizé Cornet, and Dominika Cibulková also came through. Two seeded players who fell were Ágnes Szávay, who lost to Tathiana Garbin 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, and Nicole Vaidišová, who lost to Séverine Brémond.
- Seeded players out: Nicole Vaidišová, Ágnes Szávay, Ana Ivanovic; Paul-Henri Mathieu, Philipp Kohlschreiber
- Seeded players out: Arnaud Clément / Michaël Llodra , Max Mirnyi / Jamie Murray; Victoria Azarenka / Shahar Pe'er; Yung-jan Chan / Julian Knowle
Day 5
In the women's singles, Svetlana Kuznetsova became the second top five seed to be knocked out in the space of two days, as she succumbed to number twenty-eight seed Katarina Srebotnik, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3. Kuznetsova praised Srebotnik in defeat, saying that she had no qualms over her own performance. Jelena Janković, who was playing Zheng Jie, found herself in a similar predicament to Kuznetsova, in that she was facing a second difficult match-up in three days. Janković, however, prevailed, 7–5, 7–5, after a steadfast Zheng saved four match points in a final game that witnessed 11 deuces. Marion Bartoli reached the fourth round, beating veteran Lindsay Davenport, who would neither confirm nor deny whether she was on the brink of retirement. Elena Dementieva, Patty Schnyder, and Sybille Bammer all continued their progress through the early rounds, and Caroline Wozniacki, the twenty-first seed and winner of titles in Stockholm and New Haven in the month leading up to the Open, upset fourteenth seeded Victoria Azarenka.
- Seeded players out: Svetlana Kuznetsova, Victoria Azarenka, Lindsay Davenport
- Seeded players out: Jonas Björkman / Kevin Ullyett, Pablo Cuevas / Luis Horna; Nuria Llagostera Vives / María José Martínez Sánchez; Chia-jung Chang / Daniel Nestor, Ai Sugiyama / Kevin Ullyett, Nathalie Dechy / Andy Ram, Yan Zi / Mark Knowles
Day 6
Milestones were also being set in the women's competition, as Anna-Lena Grönefeld became the first qualifier to reach the fourth round of the US Open since Anna Kournikova in 1996. The Williams sisters continued their progression untroubled, as each won on the scoreline of 6–2, 6–1. Dinara Safina was again forced into a tough match, eventually beating teenager Timea Bacsinszky 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, after being two points away from losing the match in the second set. In the other matches, ninth seed Agnieszka Radwańska eased to victory over eighteenth seed and recent Rogers Cup finalist Dominika Cibulková, 6–0, 6–3; sixteenth seed Flavia Pennetta beat Nadia Petrova, seeded three places lower; Amélie Mauresmo ended the run of Julie Coin; and wild card Séverine Brémond knocked Tathiana Garbin out of the tournament.
- Seeded players out: Dominika Cibulková, Alona Bondarenko, Ai Sugiyama, Nadia Petrova, Alizé Cornet; Ivo Karlović, David Nalbandian, Gilles Simon, David Ferrer, James Blake
- Seeded players out: Jonathan Erlich / Andy Ram, Julien Benneteau / Nicolas Mahut, Simon Aspelin / Julian Knowle; Elena Vesnina / Vera Zvonareva; Květa Peschke / Pavel Vízner
Day 7
Number two seed Jelena Janković faced a third successive match in which she struggled to reach the next round, but came through against teenager Caroline Wozniacki 3–6, 6–2, 6–1. Janković, who faced a similarly stern test versus Wozniacki at Wimbledon, was sluggish in the opening set, but proved dangerous on the rebound, as she took the next two losing only three games, and played in a more aggressive manner. Elena Dementieva cruised to victory against Li Na, and fifteenth seed Patty Schnyder beat Katarina Srebotnik to reach her second US Open quarterfinal, her first having come ten years earlier. Notably, the other fourth round match played, between twenty-ninth seed Sybille Bammer and number twelve Marion Bartoli, matched the longest women's singles match on record at the Open, clocking in at three hours and three minutes—with Bammer prevailing, 7–6, 0–6, 6–4. Bartoli called the trainer twice during the match, and said afterwards that she had been ailed by a stomach bug and low blood pressure.
- Seeded players out: Caroline Wozniacki, Marion Bartoli, Katarina Srebotnik; Dmitry Tursunov, Radek Štěpánek, Nicolás Almagro, Fernando Verdasco, Andreas Seppi, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Marin Čilić.
- Seeded players out: Martin Damm / Pavel Vízner; Alona Bondarenko / Kateryna Bondarenko
Day 8
In the women's singles, fourth seed Serena Williams continued to make serene progress, as she defeated Séverine Brémond 6–2, 6–2. Williams was highly successful on her first serve, with a conversion rate of 69%, and a points-won rate of 90%. Sister Venus, the number seven seed, set up a quarter-final clash with her, as she also completed an easy victory, over ninth seed Agnieszka Radwańska, 6–1, 6–3. Serena and Venus, who had recently played each other in the Wimbledon final, expressed dismay at their seedings, which meant that they met at an earlier round than the final. The pair had previously faced each other in the Open final, with Venus winning in 2001 and Serena the following year. Also progressing was sixth seed Dinara Safina, who faced a difficult first set against Anna-Lena Grönefeld, 7–5, 6–0. Safina, who had encountered several difficult opponents before this round, revealed afterwards that she was in tears directly before the match, due to the physical exertion she had endured thus far. However, coach Zeljko Krajan had persuaded her to play, and she told reporters of her relief at having done so. Flavia Pennetta also navigated her way into the quarterfinals, defeating Amélie Mauresmo 6–3, 6–0. Mauresmo, a former world number one and two-time Grand Slam champion, played an error-strewn match, in which she served 14 double faults and hit 40 unforced errors.
- Seeded players out: Gaël Monfils, Stanislas Wawrinka; Amélie Mauresmo, Agnieszka Radwańska
- Seeded players out: Mahesh Bhupathi / Mark Knowles, Daniel Nestor / Nenad Zimonjić; Katarina Srebotnik / Nenad Zimonjić
Day 9
The latter stages of the women's tournament began, as the quarterfinal matches in the bottom half of the draw were played. Fifth seed and 2004 finalist Elena Dementieva progressed first, defeating the fifteenth seed Patty Schnyder with a competent display, 6–2, 6–3. Dementieva won the first set with two breaks, and although Schnyder broke back to level at 3–3 in the second, Dementieva won the next three games. Jelena Janković, a semifinalist in 2006, joined her, completing an easy 6–1, 6–4 win over twenty-ninth seed Sybille Bammer, who was playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Janković, whose match was relocated to the Louis Armstrong Stadium after the Federer-Andreev match overran, was one of four players, along with Dementieva, Serena Williams, and Dinara Safina who stood a chance of claiming the World No. 1 spot at the end of the tournament.
- Seeded players out: Tommy Robredo, Nikolay Davydenko, Igor Andreev, Fernando González; Patty Schnyder, Sybille Bammer
Day 10
The late women's match was between the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, both of whom had won the Open title twice previously. Serena prevailed in two sets, 7–6, 7–6, but not without considerable difficulty. Venus took the initiative in the opening stages, breaking to lead 3–1, and had the advantage of serving for two sets points at 5–3, 40–15. However, Serena launched a comeback, and won the first set on a tiebreak score of 8–6. In a second set that mirrored the first in many ways, Venus broke at 3–2 up, and again served for the set at 5–3; Venus used an array of attacking shots, regularly approaching the net and playing a number of cross-court forehands. Venus then led Serena for a large portion of the second set tiebreak, but squandered eight sets points; Serena, meanwhile, won on her first match point to secure the tiebreak 9–7. Serena commented afterwards that the siblings were "definitely playing the best so far." Sixth seed Dinara Safina filled the other semifinal spot, defeating sixteenth seed Flavia Pennetta 6–2, 6–3. Safina, who had reached the final stage of six of her previous seven tournaments, said that she hoped to emulate her brother Marat, who won his maiden Grand Slam tournament at Flushing Meadows in 2000.
- Seeded players out: Juan Martín del Potro; Flavia Pennetta, Venus Williams
- Seeded players out: Yan Zi / Zheng Jie
Day 11
- Seeded players out: Andy Roddick
- Seeded players out: Katarina Srebotnik / Ai Sugiyama
Day 12
- Seeded players out: Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina.
- Seeded players out: Lukáš Dlouhý / Leander Paes
Day 13
In the one men's semifinal that was completed, Federer, who had endured a poor season by his standards, defeated Djoković 6–3, 5–7, 7–5, 6–2 to reach his third Grand Slam final of the year, and seventeenth overall. The last time the pair had met on hardcourts was in January, in the Australian Open semifinal, where Djoković had convincingly beaten Federer; the time before this was in the aforementioned 2007 final, where Federer had won in straight sets. Both players made impressive starts to their encounter on this occasion, as they secured easy holds of serve the opening two games. However, in third game, Federer broke, and did not lose another service game in the first set. In the second set, it was Djoković who gained the early break, and he led 3–1 before Federer rallied back to draw level at 4–4. However, this proved to be in vain as Federer, who had already saved two set points from 0–40 down, was broken at 5–6 to hand Djoković the second set. The score was deadlocked at 5–5 in the third when Federer fashioned a crucial break of serve, and went on to win the set. During the match, Djoković had felt the wrath of the US crowd, who were vociferous in their support for Federer, and who at times cheered when he hit unforced errors. After being broken at 5–5, Djoković turned and gave them a mock gesture of thanks, which only incited them further. Federer added afterwards that he felt he had broken Djoković's will by winning this set. Federer broke again in the fifth game of the fourth set, and did not lose another game as he cruised to victory. The other men's semifinal, between Nadal and Murray, was suspended with the score at 6–2, 7–6, 2–3 in Murray's favor. Murray began the match in an aggressive manner, serving and volleying, and hitting several winners from the back of the court. He was rewarded with two breaks of serve in the first set, at 1–1 and 4–2. Murray continued to bother Nadal on serve in the second, but could not break, despite holding seven break points, and facing none against himself. In the tie-break, he squandered an early lead before reeling off three points in a row at 4–5 down to gain a two-set advantage. Nadal broke Murray early in the second set, before a short postponement in play was initiated when a light rain appeared, in order to give the referee time to assess whether the court was still suitable for play. Murray queried the initial decision to stop play, but the rain soon came on stronger, and the match was suspended overnight.
- Seeded players out: Novak Djoković
Day 14
The women's singles final was also played, and Williams was victorious over Janković in two sets, 6–4, 7–5. Williams also reclaimed the number one berth for the first time since 2003, something that Janković would have done had she won the title. The players came into the final with a win-loss record against each other of 3-3, although Janković said beforehand that, "Overall, she's, I think, the strongest player on the tour, together with her sister." The match was preceded by an opening ceremony that included Anita Baker singing the US national anthem, a group of people moving a gigantic American flag over the court, and a coin toss performed by Billie Jean King. The match, which the BBC called "one of the more memorable US Open finals", began in exciting fashion, with Serena being edged to deuce in the first game, as both players hit a number of winners and unforced errors in the opening stages. Janković appeared to be playing with greater confidence though, when she broke to love in the third game of the match. Any advantage that this break gave her was nullified in the next game, as Williams broke back from 40–0 down. Janković was broken again to go 4–2 down, but it was her turn to break back as Williams made several errors when serving for the set at 5–3. Her work was undone when she went 0–40 down in the subsequent game, and after saving one set point, ceded the first set to Williams on the following one.
Williams began the second set ominously for Janković, as she held to love and then forced two break points on her serve. The next four games saw the players contest several exhausting rallies, but Williams was the only one to force any break points, gaining a lead of 15–40 at 2–1 and 3–2, with Janković holding both times. Before the seventh game of the third set, Williams went to use her towel, and Janković complained to the umpire about the violation; the same one she had committed in the previous round. With the score at 40–30 in Williams's favor, Janković hit a winner, and although the decision of the line judge incensed Williams, it was shown to be clearly in on the Hawk-Eye review; Janković then won the game, and her next one when back on serve. She had her first three set points in the next game, racing to a 0–40 lead, but failed to convert any as Williams held on. With Janković serving for the set, Williams hit three winners to take a 0–40 lead, the final point in this sequence being her eighth in a row. Janković won the next three points, and after Williams twice held advantage, she hit an ace to bring up her fourth set point. However, Janković double-faulted on this opportunity, and allowed Williams to win the game on her sixth break point. Williams won the next two games, and although Janković had a game point at 6–5, she double-faulted, and Williams took the match on her second championship point.
This was the ninth Grand Slam tournament that Williams had won, and she did not drop a set on her way to doing so. At the time, Williams joined an elite group of six women who had won nine or more Grand Slam titles in the open era, equalling Monica Seles's tally with this triumph. Williams, who had dominated the sport from 2002 to 2003, but been ranked outside the top 125 in 2006, put her renaissance, not only in this tournament but for the whole of 2008, down to a better approach towards fitness. Williams had won her first Grand Slam at the Open, in 1999, and reflected on her future by saying that she wanted to win several more before her career was over. Janković meanwhile, said she was contented with her first outing in a Grand Slam final, and joked that she probably deserved an Oscar for the dramatic nature of her matches in the two weeks that led up to the final.
- Seeded players out: Rafael Nadal; Jelena Janković
- Seeded players out: Lisa Raymond / Samantha Stosur
Day 15
Coming into this tournament, both players had contrasting records at Grand Slams: the twenty-seven-year-old Federer had reached sixteen Grand Slam finals, and won twelve, whereas the 21-year-old Murray had yet to reach the final of one. Murray also had the task of becoming the first man since Sergi Bruguera, at the 1993 French Open, to beat the top two players in the world at a Grand Slam. He did however, hold a win-loss record of 2-1 against Federer, and had most recently beaten him at the 2008 Dubai Tennis Championships. Murray, who expressed confidence coming into the final, said that this small positive record stood for little, and he, along with a number of commentators, including former Wimbledon champions Pat Cash and Michael Stich, acknowledged Federer to be the favorite, despite his disappointing year.
The match, dubbed by American sports promoter Don King as the "Grapple in the Apple", began at 5:00 pm. The pair easily held the opening three games, before Federer launched his first assault on Murray's serve at 2–1 up; he could not, however, convert his one break point opportunity. Federer eased through next service game, and broke Murray for the first time at 3–2 following a succession of errors from Murray. Federer fired another series of big serves in the seventh game, and then broke Murray to win the first set, 6–2, in twenty-seven minutes. Murray lost the first two games of the second set, meaning that Federer had won a cumulative total of six games in a row. Murray immediately broke back though, and appeared to have steadied himself by winning the next game, allowing Federer only one point. Federer failed to hit any successful first serves in the next game, and Murray gained three consecutive break points at 0–40. Federer won the next three points, despite, on evidence of a replay, having clearly hit one of his shots long. Because Murray did not stop the point, he could not challenge the call; after the match, when Murray was asked about this, he said he was disappointed, but thought that the rules were correct in not allowing retrospective challenges. Both players comfortably held the next four games, although some minor threats presented themselves for Federer at 4–4, 0–15 and 30–30. Murray was aided in the next game, when he was serving to stay in the set, as Federer hit four unforced errors, all going long. Federer won the next game, and then seized his final opportunity on a Murray service game, winning the final game of the second set to love.
Federer began to overpower his opponent in the third set; Murray was broken to love twice as Federer raced ahead to a 5–0 lead, with Murray winning only four points up to that point. He did, however, win the next two games. Federer broke the game after though, winning on his second championship point in a point that required three smashes from the defending champion. The match lasted one hour and fifty-one minutes, thirteen minutes fewer than it took to complete the women's final. The only players that Federer had not surpassed, in terms of US Open wins, at this point in his career were: Richard Sears, who had won seven straight, Bill Larned, who won seven overall, and Bill Tilden with six straight and seven overall. In the last on-court televised interview, Federer was adamant that he would not stop at thirteen, describing such a scenario as "terrible". Federer, who at the time had a total win-loss record of 45–4 at the Open and 34-match winning streak, said that the streak was of great importance to him, especially after having lost at Wimbledon. Reflecting on his year, he said, "I had a couple of tough Grand Slams this year. To take this one home is incredible." Murray said of the competition with Federer in tournaments that "I got the better of him the past two times, but he definitely set the record straight", and said, on his future, "I know mentally now that I can get to a Slam final, and physically. The only thing it comes down to is the tennis." Paying tribute to Federer, he said that, "I came up against, in my opinion, the best player ever to play the game."
- Seeded players out: Andy Murray
Summaries of other events
Seniors Doubles
Men's
In the men's doubles, American twins Bob and Mike Bryan won the sixth Grand Slam title of their careers, and their second at the US Open, having last won in 2005. They beat the pairing of Lukáš Dlouhý and Leander Paes, 7–6, 7–6. Dlouhy and Paes, who were the number seven seeds, were playing in only their sixth tournament as a team. Of the sixteen seeds, the Bryans and the Dlouhy-Paes combination were the only ones to make it as far as the quarterfinal stage. In the final itself, the Bryans had to come back from being a break down in the first set, before winning it in the tiebreak. In the second set, the teams traded breaks, before the Bryans came through a longer tiebreak. The pair came into the event having won the bronze medal at the Olympics, and they did not drop a set on their way to winning the tournament. This win allowed them to recover their number one spot in the rankings, dethroning Daniel Nestor, who had lost in the third round partnering Nenad Zimonjić. After the match, the 30-year-old brothers played down their chances of catching The Woodies, who won 11 Grand Slam titles in their career.Women's
and Liezel Huber won the women's doubles, which was their fourth Grand Slam title together, the first US Open win for either, and Huber's first as a US citizen. Black and Huber were top seeds, but had last won a Grand Slam at Wimbledon 2007. In the final, they beat the tenth seeded team of Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur, both of whom were former World No. 1s and Grand Slam champions, 6–3, 7–6. Black and Huber had been down two set points in the second set tiebreak, at 6–4, but went on to win the next four points to ensure that, like the Bryans, they did not lose a set in any of their matches. Black and Huber had faced each other three days earlier in the mixed doubles final. Speaking of this match, Black said that it was "one of the toughest matches I've ever played" and that, because of this, "I really wanted to win it for her."Mixed
In the mixed doubles, Black and Paes, seeded fifth, teamed up to defeat the unseeded partnership of Huber and Jamie Murray, 7–6, 6–4. It was Paes's fourth mixed doubles title, Black's third, and their first together. Huber and Murray dominated the opening stages of the first set tiebreak, leading 5–2 and 6–4, before Black and Paes came back to take the set. Despite some pressure on Paes's serve in the early stages of the second set, Murray was broken early on, and Black and Paes took the title.Juniors
Due to the rain on Saturday, the boys' and girls' singles semi-finals were moved to an indoor tennis centre at Port Chester, New York.Boys'
The boys' singles final saw reigning Wimbledon champion Grigor Dimitrov pitted against home favorite Devin Britton, a qualifier who had knocked out several seeds, including number two and reigning Australian Open champion Bernard Tomic, on his way to the final. Dimitrov, playing in his final junior tournament, defeated Britton 6–4, 6–3. Three American boys made the semifinals, making this the most successful tournament for the home nation since 2000, when Andy Roddick, Ytai Abougzir, and Robby Ginepri all reached that stage. Britton was surprised at his breakthrough, saying that he was "happy to be in the main draw" at the beginning of the event., the number two seed, was knocked out in the semi-finals by Paz-Franco.
Girls'
In the girls' singles final, American wild card Coco Vandeweghe defeated Gabriela Paz Franco 7–6, 6–1. Both players were inexperienced coming into the final: it was Vandeweghe's first tournament win on the ITF Tour, and Paz-Franco, who called the tournament an "amazing experience", was playing in her first junior Grand Slam. Vandeweghe, who is the niece of former basketball player Kiki Vandeweghe, credited her improved performances to greater maturity. Their match, like the boys' final, was concluded relatively quickly.By reaching the finals, Britton and Vandeweghe became the first American boy/girl duo to make the singles finals since 1992, when Brian Dunn and Lindsay Davenport did so.
Doubles
The junior doubles competitions were rescheduled for Friday evening before Super Saturday, to avoid the weather. In the boys' doubles, Niki Moser and Cedrik-Marcel Stebe defeated Henri Kontinen and Christopher Rungkat in a close final, 7–6, 3–6, 10–8. In the girls', Noppawan Lertcheewakarn and Sandra Roma defeated Mallory Burdette and Sloane Stephens, 6–0, 6–2. Lertcheewakarn said she was glad to have won for Roma, who was playing in her final junior Grand Slam. Roma said that she would like to partner Lertcheewakarn again at some point in the future.Seniors
Men's Singles
Roger Federer defeated Andy Murray, 6–2, 7–5, 6–2- It was Federer's 3rd title of the year, and his 56th overall. It was his 13th career Grand Slam title, and his 5th US Open title.
Women's Singles
- It was Williams's 4th title of the year, and her 32nd overall. It was her 9th career Grand Slam title, and her 3rd US Open title.
Men's Doubles
Women's Doubles
Cara Black / Liezel Huber defeated Lisa Raymond / Samantha Stosur, 6–3, 7–6Mixed Doubles
Cara Black / Leander Paes defeated Liezel Huber / Jamie Murray, 7–6, 6–4Juniors
Boys' Singles
Grigor Dimitrov defeated Devin Britton, 6–4, 6–3Girls' Singles
Coco Vandeweghe defeated Gabriela Paz Franco, 7–6, 6–1Boys' Doubles
Niki Moser / Cedrik-Marcel Stebe defeated Henri Kontinen / Christopher Rungkat, 7–6, 3–6,Girls' Doubles
Noppawan Lertcheewakarn / Sandra Roma defeated Mallory Burdette / Sloane Stephens, 6–0, 6–2Wheelchair
The wheelchair events did not take place in 2008 due to a conflict with the Beijing Summer Paralympic Games.Legends
Men's Champions Invitational
Pat Cash defeated Mats Wilander, 6–2, 6–2Women's Champions Invitational
Martina Navratilova defeated Jana Novotná, 6–3, 6–3Mixed Champions Invitational
Anne Smith / Stan Smith defeated Ilana Kloss / Guillermo Vilas, 6–4, 6–4Seeds
Men's Singles
- Rafael Nadal
- Roger Federer
- Novak Djoković
- David Ferrer
- Nikolay Davydenko
- Andy Murray
- David Nalbandian
- Andy Roddick
- James Blake
- Stanislas Wawrinka
- Fernando González
- Richard Gasquet
- Fernando Verdasco
- Ivo Karlović
- Tommy Robredo
- Gilles Simon
- Juan Martín del Potro
- Nicolás Almagro
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
- Nicolas Kiefer
- Mikhail Youzhny
- Tomáš Berdych
- Igor Andreev
- Paul-Henri Mathieu
- Philipp Kohlschreiber
- Dmitry Tursunov
- Feliciano López
- Radek Štěpánek
- Juan Mónaco
- Marin Čilić
- Andreas Seppi
- Gaël Monfils ''
Women's Singles
- Ana Ivanovic
- Jelena Janković
- Svetlana Kuznetsova
- Serena Williams
- Elena Dementieva
- Dinara Safina
- Venus Williams
- Vera Zvonareva
- Agnieszka Radwańska
- Anna Chakvetadze
- Daniela Hantuchová
- Marion Bartoli
- Ágnes Szávay
- Victoria Azarenka
- Patty Schnyder
- Flavia Pennetta
- Alizé Cornet
- Dominika Cibulková
- Nadia Petrova
- Nicole Vaidišová
- Caroline Wozniacki
- Maria Kirilenko
- Lindsay Davenport
- Shahar Pe'er
- Francesca Schiavone
- Anabel Medina Garrigues
- Alona Bondarenko
- Katarina Srebotnik
- Sybille Bammer
- Ai Sugiyama
- Virginie Razzano
- Amélie Mauresmo ''
Qualifier entries
Men's Qualifiers entries
- Björn Phau
- Jan Minář
- Robert Smeets
- Robert Kendrick
- Tomáš Zíb
- Thiago Alves
- Ryler DeHeart
- Jan Hernych
- Rui Machado
- Andreas Beck
- Rik de Voest
- Paul Capdeville
- Ryan Sweeting
- Pablo Cuevas
- Gilles Müller
- Stéphane Bohli
- Andrey Golubev
- Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
- Flavio Cipolla
Women's Qualifiers entries
- Hana Šromová
- Anastasia Pivovarova
- Sandra Záhlavová
- Kristie Ahn
- Zhang Shuai
- Hsieh Su-wei
- Stefanie Vögele
- Anna-Lena Grönefeld
- Roberta Vinci
- Rossana de los Ríos
- Yaroslava Shvedova
- Shenay Perry
- Julie Coin
- Alexa Glatch
- Raluca Olaru
- Maria Elena Camerin
- Mariana Duque Mariño
Protected ranking
;Men's Singles
- Dominik Hrbatý
Wildcard entries
Men's singles
- Carsten Ball
- Amer Delić
- Brendan Evans
- Scoville Jenkins
- Austin Krajicek
- Jesse Levine
- Laurent Recouderc
- Sam Warburg
Women's singles
- Séverine Brémond
- Gail Brodsky
- Jamea Jackson
- Asia Muhammad
- Jessica Moore
- Melanie Oudin
- Ahsha Rolle
- CoCo Vandeweghe
Men's doubles
- Chase Buchanan / Ryan Harrison
- Amer Delić / Alex Kuznetsov
- Robby Ginepri / Travis Rettenmaier
- John Isner / Sam Querrey
- Robert Kendrick / Ryan Sweeting
- Jesse Levine / Donald Young
- Michael McClune / Kaes Van't Hof
Women's doubles
- Gail Brodsky / Mallory Cecil
- Julie Ditty / Carly Gullickson
- Christina Fusano / Shenay Perry
- Jamie Hampton / CoCo Vandeweghe
- Angela Haynes / Ahsha Rolle
- Tracy Lin / Riza Zalameda
- Asia Muhammad / Melanie Oudin
Mixed doubles
- Jill Craybas / Eric Butorac
- Alexa Glatch / Scott Lipsky
-
Asia Muhammad/Sam Querrey - Melanie Oudin / Donald Young
- Sloane Stephens / Robert Kendrick
- Riza Zalameda / Kaes Van't Hof
Withdrawals
- Mario Ančić → replaced by Wayne Odesnik
- Marcos Baghdatis → replaced by Óscar Hernández
- Juan Ignacio Chela → replaced by Frederico Gil
- Juan Carlos Ferrero → replaced by Andrey Golubev
- Robin Haase → replaced by Pablo Andújar
- Lleyton Hewitt → replaced by Roko Karanušić
- Stefan Koubek → replaced by Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi
- Ivan Ljubičić → replaced by Kei Nishikori
- Mikhail Youzhny → replaced by Flavio Cipolla
- Tatiana Golovin → replaced by Ekaterina Bychkova
- Ashley Harkleroad → replaced by Samantha Stosur
- Sania Mirza → replaced by Mariana Duque Mariño
- Akiko Morigami → replaced by Aiko Nakamura
- Maria Sharapova → replaced by Maret Ani