Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
defeated
Michael ChangMichael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
6-1 6-4 7-6(3) in the final to win the
Men's Singles title at the 1996 US Open.
The 1996 US Open men's singles draw had a highly controversial seeding dispute. There were accusations of American favouritism as world number 3,
Michael ChangMichael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
, and world number 8,
Andre AgassiAndre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, were seeded above their world ranking at numbers 2 and 6 respectively. Other players seeded above their world ranking included world number 6,
Goran IvaniševićGoran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...
, being seeded at number 4 and
Richard KrajicekRichard Peter Stanislav Krajicek is a Dutch former professional tennis player. In 1996 he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, the only Dutch player to have done so. In the quarterfinals of that tournament he defeated Pete Sampras. This was Sampras' only singles defeat at Wimbledon between...
, the world number 7, being seeded at number 5.
Some other players were seeded below their world ranking, including world number 2,
Thomas MusterThomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...
, who was seeded at number 3,
Boris BeckerBoris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
, the world number 5, seeded at number 6, and
Yevgeny KafelnikovYevgeny Aleksandrovich Kafelnikov is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Russia. He won two Grand Slam singles titles , four Grand Slam doubles titles, and the men's singles gold medal at the Sydney Olympic Games. He also helped Russia win the Davis Cup in 2002...
, the world number 4, seeded at number 7. Becker pulled out of the tournament with an injury and Kafelnikov was so angry at his seeding demotion that he withdrew from the tournament in protest and flew home to Russia.
See also:
- 1996 US Open - Women's Singles
- 1996 US Open - Men's Doubles
- 1996 US Open - Women's Doubles
- 1996 US Open - Mixed Doubles
Seeds
The seeded players are listed below.
Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.
-
 Pete SamprasPete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time....
(Champion)
- Michael Chang
Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17....
(Finalist)
-
 Thomas MusterThomas Muster is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Austria. One of the world's leading clay court players in the 1990s, Muster won the 1995 French Open and at his peak was known as "The King of Clay." In addition, he won eight Masters 1000 series titles, placing him sixth on the all-time list...
(Quarterfinalist)
-
 Goran IvaniševićGoran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous...
(Semifinalist)
-
 Richard KrajicekRichard Peter Stanislav Krajicek is a Dutch former professional tennis player. In 1996 he won the men's singles title at Wimbledon, the only Dutch player to have done so. In the quarterfinals of that tournament he defeated Pete Sampras. This was Sampras' only singles defeat at Wimbledon between...
(First round)
- Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
(Semifinalist)
- n/a
- n/a
-
 Wayne FerreiraWayne Richard Ferreira is a former tennis player from South Africa. He attended Parktown Boys' High School....
(First round)
|
-
 Marcelo RíosMarcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No...
(Second round)
- MaliVai Washington
MaliVai "Mal" Washington is a former professional tennis player from the United States. He is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at Wimbledon in 1996.-Family:...
(Second round)
- Todd Martin
----Todd Christopher Martin is a former professional tennis player from the United States.-Playing career:...
(Third round)
-
 Thomas EnqvistThomas Karl Johan Enqvist is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.He was quickly touted as the only Swede who could follow in the footsteps of Stefan Edberg and Björn Borg, and was ranked as high as No. 4 on the ATP Rankings.Enqvist was a force on the Swedish Davis Cup team...
(Fourth round)
-
 Albert CostaAlbert Costa i Casals is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 2002.-Tennis career:...
(First round)
-
 Marc RossetMarc Rosset is a former professional tennis player from Switzerland who is best remembered for winning the men's singles Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympic Games....
(First round)
-
 Cédric PiolineCédric Pioline is a retired French professional tennis player who played on the professional tour from 1989 to 2002. He reached the men's singles final at the 1993 US Open and at Wimbledon in 1997...
(Third round)
- Félix Mantilla
Félix Mantilla Botella is a former Spanish professional tennis player, born in Barcelona. In common with many of his fellow countrymen, Mantilla's best surface is clay. While not as successful away from the clay, Mantilla also produced good hardcourt results...
(Second round)
|
Key
- Q = Qualifier
- WC = Wild Card
- LL = Lucky Loser
- r. = retired
Final Eight
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
External links