U.S Open History: A look back at the men’s, women’s singles champions

Serena Williams will be attempting to repeat as the women’s singles champion at the U.S. Open. Williams has appeared in three straight finals at the tournament, falling to Samantha Stosur in 2011 before establishing her current reign of dominance.

Ranked as the No. 1 player in women’s tennis, Williams will be looking to collect her 18th major championship in singles play. But the women’s field will have plenty of competition including Stosur, Simona Halep, Maria Sharapova, Agnieszka Radwanska and Caroline Wozniacki.

For a point of reference, here’s a look back at the last 10 championship matchups on the women’s side of the bracket:

The men’s side of the bracket will have a new champion as Rafael Nadal had to pull out of the tournament due to a wrist injury. Nadal captured last year’s championship by defeating Novak Djokovic, a meeting that has occurred in three of the last four U.S Open finals.

Djokovic has remained the constant over that span, defeating Nadal in 2011 but falling in the two other meetings in addition to losing to Andy Murray in 2012. With Nadal out of the picture, Djokovic will look to improve on his record and is considered one of the favorites in the men’s bracket.

Roger Federer is also favored to win and will be looking to make a return to the finals for the first time since his 2009 loss to Juan Martín del Potro. Federer appeared in six consecutive finals, winning five straight championships before falling to del Potro.

A meeting between Djokovic and Federer would bridge the gap between two of the most dominant runs in the U.S. Open over the last decade.

Here’s a look at the last 10 men’s championships: