Why Is It Almost Impossible to Break These 10 US Open Records?
By Why Is It NOT Possible? Editorial·October 25, 2026·5 min read
Roger Federer won five US Open titles in a row. In 2009, he reached another final, led Juan Martín del Potro by two sets to one, and still lost. Even Federer could not quite stretch that run to six.
This list includes the U.S. National Championships, the tournament’s predecessor before the Open Era began in 1968. Those records were set in amateur competition, under different conditions from today’s tournament.
1. Roger Federer’s five consecutive men’s singles titles
From 2004 to 2008, Federer beat five different opponents in the US Open final: Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. His five-title streak remains the Open Era record.
By the 2008 tournament, Federer had lost his world No. 1 ranking and had not won a major that season. He needed five sets to get past Igor Andreev in the fourth round before eventually beating Murray for the title.
Beating Federer’s record would take six consecutive titles. An injury that forces a player to miss the tournament would end the attempt just as surely as a defeat.
2. Chris Evert’s 16 consecutive semifinal appearances
Evert reached the US Open semifinals on her debut in 1971. She then reached at least that stage every year through 1986. Her first quarterfinal defeat at the tournament came in 1987.
Passing her would require 17 consecutive semifinal appearances. Start at 18, and a player would have to reach the last four every year through the tournament at 34. One quarterfinal loss anywhere in that run would end the attempt.
3. Ivan Lendl’s eight straight men’s singles finals
Lendl played every US Open final from 1982 to 1989. He shares the all-time men’s record of eight consecutive finals with Bill Tilden, whose run lasted from 1918 to 1925. Lendl’s streak is the Open Era record. His first three finals ended in defeat. He lost twice to Jimmy Connors and once to John McEnroe, then returned to win the next three championships. Two more finals followed.
Someone trying to surpass him and Tilden would need nine consecutive finals.
4. Tracy Austin becoming singles champion at 16
Austin was 16 years, eight months and 28 days old when she won the 1979 US Open, making her the youngest singles champion in tournament history. She beat four-time defending champion Chris Evert 6–4, 6–3 in the final. Austin was already the third seed and a Wimbledon semifinalist that summer.
To beat her age record, a player would have to reach that level even earlier. There would be little time to adjust to the professional tour before having to win one of its biggest tournaments.
5. Martina Navratilova winning a title at 49
Navratilova won the 2006 US Open mixed doubles with Bob Bryan at 49 years and 326 days. It made her the oldest Grand Slam champion.
A partner can cover space, but cannot play every difficult shot. Navratilova still had to return serve and handle volleys at 49. Experience helps a player anticipate the ball; reaching it and controlling the shot remain physical demands.
6. Molla Mallory’s eight women’s singles championships
Mallory won the U.S. National Championships in 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1926. Her eight titles remain the women’s singles record across the tournament’s history. She was 42 when she won the last one.
All eight championships came on grass in the amateur era. That makes a direct comparison with modern champions difficult, but nine titles would still be needed to replace her at the top of the list.
7. Helen Wills winning 54 consecutive singles sets
Wills won 54 consecutive sets at the U.S. National Championships during a run spanning 1927 to 1933. She did not enter in 1930 or 1932, so this was a streak across her appearances, rather than seven consecutive editions.
One dropped set would end the attempt, even if the player recovered to win the match. Beating Wills requires 55 consecutive sets.
8. Margaret Osborne duPont’s 25 titles across three events
DuPont collected 25 U.S. championship titles: three in singles, 13 in women’s doubles and nine in mixed doubles. All came before the Open Era.
Most of duPont’s titles came in doubles. Ten of her women’s doubles championships were consecutive, from 1941 to 1950. For perspective, Navratilova finished with 16 US Open titles across the three disciplines, the Open Era record.
Passing duPont would require 26 titles. Even two championships a year would take 13 editions. A challenger would need to keep entering and winning multiple events over much of their career.
9. Jimmy Connors winning singles titles on three surfaces
Connors won the US Open on grass in 1974, green clay in 1976 and hard courts in 1978. He remains the only singles player to have won the tournament on all three surfaces. Connors had to adapt as the tournament moved from grass to green clay and then to hard courts. His career overlapped both changes, giving him an opportunity that today’s players do not have.
As long as the US Open stays on hard courts, today’s players cannot match his three-surface record.
10. A US Open match containing 105 games
The record of 105 games in a match was reached twice, in men’s doubles at the U.S. National Championships in 1966 and 1967. In the latter, Cliff Drysdale and Ray Moore beat Roy Emerson and Ron Barnes 29–31, 8–6, 3–6, 8–6, 6–2.
Tiebreaks now prevent sets from accumulating games that way. Even five sets ending 7–6 would total only 65 games. A tiebreak can continue beyond its minimum winning score, but those extra points do not become extra games. Under the present format, 105 cannot be surpassed.
Final Takeaway
Six consecutive titles would beat Federer’s record. But no number of titles on today’s hard courts would match Connors’ wins on three surfaces. That opportunity has disappeared, and the scoring rules have also put a 105-game match out of reach.