5 best matches of 2024 season ft. Naomi Osaka vs Iga Swiatek, Ben Shelton vs Frances Tiafoe
Naomi Osaka and Iga Swiatek played out one of the best matches of the 2024 matches, as did Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton. Both fixtures, among others, produced some scintillating tennis that mesmerized the spectators and tennis fans all over the world.
The 2024 season saw some high-octane tennis from many of the world's best players. There were dominant runs from several players, with Jannik Sinner winning eight titles, which included two Grand Slams and the ATP Finals, while Aryna Sabalenka won two Majors as well. Iga Swiatek dominated the clay season as she won the French Open and the WTA 1000 events in Madrid and Rome.
There were also moments of resurgence, with Paula Badosa, who was below the Top 100 of the rankings, producing some sensational performances to end 2024 as the World No. 12.
Additionally, the year also produced some magnificent tennis matches across various tournaments that not just lasted for a long time but were also nail-biting thrillers where it always took something special and extraordinary for players to come out on top. These include the WTA Finals title clash between Coco Gauff and Zheng Qinwen and the French Open semifinal between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.
However, there were some fixtures that stood out from the other great ones given how they unfolded. On that note, let us take a look at the five best matches of the 2024 season.
#5. Zheng Qinwen vs. Donna Vekic, US Open 2024 4R
Zheng Qinwen and Donna Vekic faced one another twice this season, with the Chinese registering a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 win over the Croat to win the singles gold at the Paris Olympics.
However, their second encounter turned out to be one of the matches of the 2023 season. It was the US Open, and Zheng Qinwen was seeded seventh while Donna Vekic was the 24th seed. They locked horns in the fourth round, with the first set going to a tiebreak despite Zheng having two break points in a game. The Chinese, however, dominated the tiebreak to win it 7-2 and take the lead in the match.
The second saw the two exchange breaks at the start, and Vekic eventually won it with her aggression, as she eventually landed the crucial service break in the final game to force the match into a decider. Zheng Qinwen's relentless baseline game, however, got the better of the Croat, as the Chinese dominated the final set to register a 7-6(2), 4-6, 6-2 win and reach her second successive US Open quarterfinal.
This match lasted two hours and 53 minutes and concluded after 2 a.m..
#4. Frances Tiafoe vs Ben Shelton, US Open 2024 3R
Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton faced one another in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open. Fast-forward a year, and the two's meeting in Flushing Meadows came as early as the third round.
Shelton took the match's first set after bagging a decisive break in the final game, but Tiafoe fought hard in the second set. The 26-year-old threatened to break his compatriot's serve and finally converted his ninth break point of the set before holding serve to win 7-5.
The third set saw both players break one another once, and a tiebreak ensued. Tiafoe saved six set points, but Shelton eventually edged him out to restore his lead in the fixture. However, the 26-year-old once again rallied back and clinched the fourth set to force the match into a decider.
Shelton's tough serve was getting harder for Tiafoe to cope with, but the latter did well to produce what would turn out to be a hugely decisive break in the fourth game of the final set. The 26-year-old eventually triumphed 4-6, 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-3 in four hours and six minutes to reach the US Open fourth round. It was also Frances Tiafoe's very first win over Ben Shelton.
#3. Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev, French Open 2024 Final
Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev contested the French Open final, and the two put on quite a show on Court Philippe Chatrier with their aggression and resilience.
Both players were in the title clash of the clay Major for the first time in their respective careers, with Alcaraz overcoming Jannik Sinner in a five-set battle while Zverev came back from a set down to defeat a half-fit Casper Ruud.
The Spaniard started the final well, as he won the first set 6-3. Zverev had three break points in the opening game of the second set and while he failed to convert those, the German broke Alcaraz twice to win the set 6-2 and level the match.
The 21-year-old from Murcia took a 4-2 lead in the third set but his opponent won five out of the next six games to win 7-5. Alcaraz found himself in a situation similar to when he was playing Jannik Sinner in the semifinals, and once again, the Spaniard showcased his resilience and dominated the next two sets to register a 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 victory and win the French Open.
This was Alcaraz's third Grand Slam and the first of his two Majors in 2024.
#2. Iga Swiatek vs Naomi Osaka, French Open 2024 2R
Another epic fixture at the 2024 French Open came in the second round as then-World No. 1 Iga Swiatek faced Naomi Osaka. Based on the forms at the time, Swiatek was heavily favored to win rather comprehensively. However, Naomi Osaka begged to differ.
The Japanese saved a set point in the opening set but Swiatek eventually won it via a tiebreak to take the lead in the match. Naomi Osaka roared back during the second set, as she won it 6-1 to force the match into a decider.
The two-time US Open champion looked to be on course to deliver one of the great clay-court upsets as her serve and hard-hitting took her to a 5-2 lead in the final set. Naomi Osaka served for the match at 5-3 and even had a match point. However, Swiatek saved it.
The Pole eventually went on to win five games in a row to register a 7-6(1), 1-6, 7-5 win in three hours to reach the third round of the French Open.
No player was remotely close to challenging Iga Swiatek in Paris this year as Naomi Osaka, as she dropped just 20 games from her other six fixtures en route to her third successive triumph at the clay Major.
#1. Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner, China Open 2024 Final
The China Open final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner showed exactly why the duo's rivalry has the potential to reach the rivalry among Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. The two youngsters produced one of the greatest tennis matches to ever be played in the Far East in their three-hour-24-minute clash in Beijing.
Alcaraz got off to a fine start as he led 5-2 in the first set, only for Sinner to bounce back and win the set via a tiebreak. Both players were effective on their respective serves during the first eight games of the second set before the Spaniard won the next two games to force the match into a decider.
Alcaraz broke early in the third set but Sinner bounced back, and the score was 4-4. Eventually, a tiebreak would take place, and the Spaniard won it to register a 6-7(6), 6-4, 7-6(3) victory and clinch the 2024 China Open.