Setbacks, epic comebacks & other headlines of 2020 US Open

The 2020 US Open saw a new Grand Slam champion in Men's Singles as Dominic Thiem got the better of Alexander Zverev 2-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6(8-6) in a thrilling final at the Arthur Ashe stadium in New York.

The Austrian who was playing his fourth Grand Slam final made an epic comeback from two sets down & 3-5 in the fifth set to beat the first time Grand Slam finalist Alexander Zverev.

With no crowds at the venue and the ongoing pandemic, the 2020 US Open championship right from its buildup till the final was different. Let's take a look at some of the facts that made headlines during the course of the tournament:

Player withdrawals

Citing concerns due to coronavirus, many players chose to opt out of the US Open 2020. The biggest name of all was the defending Men's Singles champion Rafael Nadal.

20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer too didn't take part due to knee injury. Nick Kyrgios was another player who preferred not to play due to coronavirus. Other big name withdrawals included 2016 US Open champion Stan Wawrinka and 2014 runner-up Kei Nishikori. Nishikori had tested positive for Covid-19 a week prior to the start of the US Open.

Djokovic's exit

In a major setback of the tournament, the 17-time Grand Slam Champion and the tournament's favourite Novak Djokovic was out defaulted from the tournament. The Serbian was disqualified for inadvertently hitting a line judge with a ball during his fourth round clash against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Third round upset for Tsitsipas

Seeded fourth, and among the favourites, there was a lot riding on Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2020 US Open. The Greek sensation looked in great touch throughout going in to the tournament and was a point away from beating Borna Coric. The Croatian pulled off the escape of the tournament and scripted an epic comeback saving six match points to beat Tsitsipas 6-7 6-4 4-6 7-5 7-6.

Zverev's best stint in a Slam

Alexander Zverev was not able to cross the finishing line, but had a tournament to remember. From two-sets down he defeated Pablo Carreno Busta 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3, thus becoming the first German in a Grand Slam final since Rainer Schuettler in the 2003 Australian Open.

Indians at the US Open

In singles, Sumit Nagal registered a historic first round win against Bradley Klahn, thus becoming the first Indian to win a Singles match at the US Open in seven years. This was also his first Grand Slam win. The Indian lost to the eventual champion Dominic Thiem in the second round.

In Doubles, the pair of Rohan Bopanna and Denis Shapovalov made it to the quarter-final where they lost to Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau. En route to the quarter-finals, they upset the 6th seeded German pair of Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies.