6 players who missed out on a Career Grand Slam because of the US Open ft. Ashleigh Barty and Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Ashleigh Barty and Evonne Goolagong Cawley are among the players who missed out on a Career Grand Slam (winning all four Majors) because they were unable to win the US Open.
Winning a Grand Slam is the ultimate achievement for anyone who aspires to become a tennis player. Over the years, there have been several players who have managed to win Majors, while a few have also completed the Career Grand Slam.
Some of the greatest players to have completed the Career Grand Slam include Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Steffi Graf, to name a few.
Several top players, however, have missed out on this feat, some of them because they did not win the New York Major.
So without further ado, let's take a look at the six players who missed out on the Career Grand Slam because they didn't win the US Open:
#1 Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Evonne Goolagong Cawley is among the finest female tennis players of all time. The Aussie had a glittering career, during which she won seven Grand Slam singles titles.
Cawley won the Australian Open four times, Wimbledon twice and the French Open in 1971. However, she was unable to win the US Open, thus preventing her from completing the Career Grand Slam.
Cawley reached four successive finals between 1973-76 but lost all of them. In her first final in 1973, she was beaten 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 by compatriot Margaret Court.
She faced Billie Jean King in the 1974 final and won the opening set 6-3. However, the American won the next two sets 6-3, 7-5 to win the tournament. Chris Evert beat Cawley in the 1975 and 1976 finals.
31 July 1951. Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong (later Cawley) was born Griffith, Australia. She won 7 Grand Slam singles titles: Australia (4), Wimbledon (2) French (1). She was also runner up in 4 US Open Women’s Singles Finals. https://t.co/bpu1YX5Nvp
#2 Jean Borotra
Jean Borotra was one of France's "Four Musketeers" who dominated the sport during the second half of the 1920s and early 1930s. He had an exceptionally successful doubles career but excelled on the singles circuit as well.
Borotra won four Grand Slam singles titles, including the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon. However, the US Open eluded him. His best performance at the US Major was reaching the final in 1926, where he was beaten 6-4, 6-0, 6-4 by his compatriot Rene Lacoste.
#3 Jack Crawford
Jack Crawford was one of the best tennis players of the 1930s, with 1933 being the stand-out year of his career. The Aussie won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon that year.
He entered the US Open with high hopes and reached the final after beating Clifford Sutter and Frank Shields in the quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. Standing between Crawford and the trophy was Fred Perry and the Brit beat him 6-3, 11-13, 4-6, 6-0, 6-1 to win the first of his eight Grand Slam singles titles.
Crawford never reached another US Open final.
Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results
#4 Ashleigh Barty
Ashleigh Barty is one of the finest women's tennis players of our time. The Aussie enjoyed a glittering career, winning three Grand Slam singles titles. She won the French Open in 2019, Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open earlier this season before retiring.
However, the US Open is the one Major Barty did not lay her hands on. The best she could do was reach the fourth round in 2018 and 2019.
In 2018, Barty was seeded 18th and reached the last 16 following three straight-set wins over Ons Jabeur, Lucie Safarova and Karolina Muchova. However, she was beaten 6-4, 6-4 by Karolina Pliskova.
Barty was the second seed in 2019 and made it to the fourth round after beating Zarina Diyas, Lauren Davis and Maria Sakkari. She lost 6-2, 6-4 to 18th-seeded Wang Qiang in the last 16.
Barty competed at the US Open last year as the top seed and suffered a third-round defeat at the hands of Shelby Rogers.
American Shelby Rogers knocked No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty out of the US Open.
Rogers is the first American woman to beat a World No. 1 in the first week of a major since 1994, when Lori McNeil stunned Steffi Graf at Wimbledon. https://t.co/Vxis7i33m6
#5 Lew Hoad
Lew Hoad was at the peak of his powers during the mid 1950s, winning the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon in 1956.
Expectations were high for the Aussie at the US Open as he was the top seed. Hoad reached the quarterfinals, dropping just one set in the process. He then registered straight-sets wins over Roy Emerson and Neale Fraser to book his place in the final.
Standing between Hoad and the US Open trophy was compatriot Ken Rosewall, who he had beaten in the finals of the Australian Open and Wimbledon. The former took the opening set 6-4 but Rosewall bounced back and won the next three sets to win the US Open for the first time in his career.
#6 Angela Mortimer
Angela Mortimer is one of the greatest tennis players to have come out of Great Britain. Mortimer won three Grand Slam singles titles - the French Open in 1955, the Australian Open in 1958 and Wimbledon in 1961. However, she was unable to win the US Open.
Mortimer's best run at the tournament came in 1961, when she reached the semifinals. Seeded second, the Brit beat Leslie Taylor 6-3, 6-4 to set up a last-four clash against Ann Haydon, who beat her 6-4, 6-2.