The 9 men to win Cincinnati and US Open titles in same season – ft. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic
The Cincinnati Open is one of the biggest tournaments to win in the US hard court summer, though success in the Midwest does not always lead to a US Open triumph.
Ahead of the US Open, we look at just the nine men who have managed to win both titles in the same season.
Ken Rosewall – 1970
A legend of both the amateur and professional eras, Australian star Rosewall was the first man to achieve the feat in the Open Era.
Rosewall beat reigning champion Cliff Richey to win the Cincinnati title and then defeated Tony Roche to win the US Open – 14 years after his first victory in New York.
Stan Smith – 1971
One of the first big US stars of the Open Era, two-time major winner Smith completed the double just a year after Rosewall.
Smith claimed the Cincinnati Open title with victory against Juan Gisbert and then claimed his first Grand Slam title at the US Open by defeating Czech great Jan Kodes.
John McEnroe – 1981
McEnroe won his third straight US Open title in 1979 and coupled that up with victory in Cincinnati just a few weeks prior.
The American defeated Chris Lewis in Cincinnati, before fending off legendary rival Bjorn Borg in New York for the third of his four US Open victories.
Mats Wilander – 1988
Seven-time major winner Wilander completed the double during a legendary 1988 season where he captured three of the four major titles.
The Swede defeated compatriot Stefan Edberg for his fourth and final title in Cincinnati, before capturing his sole US Open title with an epic five-set final victory over great rival Ivan Lendl.
Pat Rafter – 1998
In a dominant summer, former world No 1 Rafter became the first man to win the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and US Open titles in the same season.
The Australian captured his sole title in the Midwest by defeating Pete Sampras in a three-set final, and then saw off compatriot Mark Philippoussis to successfully defend his title in Flushing Meadows.
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Andy Roddick – 2003
Much like Rafter, Roddick won in Canada, Cincinnati, and New York during his epic 2003 season.
In the Cincinnati championships match, the American battled past good friend Mardy Fish to lift the title, before defeating Juan Carlos Ferrero just a few weeks later to lift his sole major.
Roger Federer – 2005, 2007
Federer was the first man to complete the Cincinnati-New York double twice, doing so in 2005 and then again in 2007.
In 2005 the Swiss claimed the first of his seven titles in the Midwest with victory over Andy Roddick, before fending off Andre Agassi to successfully defend his US Open title.
Two years later, Federer beat James Blake in the Cincinnati final before defeating Novak Djokovic in New York for a fourth straight US Open triumph.
Rafael Nadal – 2013
In possibly the best hard court run of his career, Nadal matched Roddick and Rafter by winning in Canada as well as in both Cincinnati and New York.
The Spaniard claimed his first and only Cincinnati crown with a victory over John Isner in the final and then defeated Djokovic to win his second US Open title.
Novak Djokovic – 2018, 2023
The most recent man to complete the double is Djokovic, who did so in 2018 and 2023.
Five years ago the Serbian beat Federer in the Cincinnati final to lift his first title there after five previous final defeats, before defeating Juan Martin del Potro in New York.
Last year, Djokovic edged past Carlos Alcaraz in an epic Cincinnati tussle to lift the title for a third time, and then went on to down Daniil Medvedev in the US Open final.
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