2009 US Open – Women's Singles 2009 US Open – Women's Singles Serena Williams was the defending champion, but was defeated in the semifinals by the eventual champion Kim Clijsters. Clijsters defeated first time Grand Slam finalist Caroline Wozniacki in the final to win her second US Open title. Clijsters became the first unseeded player and wild card to win the tournament, and the first mother to win a major since Evonne Goolagong in 1980. Following her win, she made 19th in the rankings. This was the final Grand Slam appearance for former two-time Grand Slam champion, Amélie Mauresmo, who lost to Aleksandra Wozniak in the
1996 US Open – Men's Singles 1996 US Open – Men's Singles Pete Sampras was the defending champion, and successfully defended his title, defeating Michael Chang 6–1, 6–4, 7–6 in the final to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1996 US Open. Sampras' run was highlighted by a memorable quarterfinal match against unseeded Alex Corretja. Sampras had a stomach bug and actually threw up in the fifth set, prompting a warning from the referees for delaying the match. Corretja nearly pulled the upset, but Sampras won 9-7 in the fifth set tiebreak. In the draw for the tournament, there were accusations of American favouritism