The ones to beat: US Open No.1 seeds since 1999
From Martina Hingis to Naomi Osaka, take a look back at how all the No.1 seeds have fared at the US Open since 1999. This year Karolina Pliskova heads the field.
01
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In 1999, Martina Hingis was the US Open No.1 seed for the third out of five straight years and defeated Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Venus Williams en route to the final, where she fell 6-3, 7-6(4) to first-time champion Serena Williams.
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02
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Martina Hingis enjoyed a 6-0, 7-5 win over Monica Seles in the 2000 quarterfinals - but in the semifinals Venus Williams reversed the result of the previous year to defeat the No.1 seed 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 in a classic and go on to her own first US Open crown.
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03
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The 2001 US Open was the last major at which Martina Hingis would be top seed, and after surviving a third-set tiebreak against Iva Majoli in the third round, she fell 6-3, 6-2 to Serena Williams in the semifinals.
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04
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In 2002, Serena Williams was top seed at a major for the first time - and lived up to her status to win her second US Open with a 6-4, 6-3 final defeat of Venus Williams, becoming the first top-seeded champion here since Martina Hingis in 1997.
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05
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Kim Clijsters has been No.1 seed at a major once in her career - at the 2003 US Open, where she defeated Lindsay Davenport in the semifinals but lost 7-5, 6-1 to Belgian compatriot Justine Henin in a repeat of that year's Roland Garros final.
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06
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Fresh off the Olympic gold medal in Athens, defending champion Justine Henin was No.1 seed in 2004, ending Nicole Vaidisova's Grand Slam debut in round one but falling 6-3, 6-2 to Nadia Petrova in the fourth round.
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07
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Maria Sharapova's debut as No.1 seed in a Grand Slam was at the 2005 US Open, where the Russian defeated Nadia Petrova to reach the semifinals before losing 6-2, 6-7(4), 6-3 to eventual champion Kim Clijsters.
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08
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Amélie Mauresmo was top seed in 2006 for the third and last time in her career at a major; the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion beat Serena Williams and Dinara Safina to reach the semifinals, where Maria Sharapova ended her run 6-0, 4-6, 6-0.
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09
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Justine Henin delivered a phenomenal title run as the top seed in 2007, dispatching Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Svetlana Kuznetsova without dropping a set to claim her seventh and final Grand Slam trophy.
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10
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In 2008, Ana Ivanovic became the first US Open top seed to lose before the third round, falling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to No.188-ranked qualifier Julie Coin - who remains the lowest-ranked player to defeat a World No.1 on the Grand Slam stage.
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11
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2009 saw No.1 seed Dinara Safina struggle past Olivia Rogowska and Kristina Barrois in three sets before being edged 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(5) by the No.72-ranked Petra Kvitova in the third round - the future Wimbledon champion's first win over a Top 5 player.
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12
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In 2010, Caroline Wozniacki - the previous year's runner-up - was No.1 seed at a major for the first time, and the Dane defeated Maria Sharapova en route to the semifinals, where she fell 6-4, 6-3 to Vera Zvonareva.
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13
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Caroline Wozniacki enjoyed a second straight semifinal run as top seed in 2011, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova and Andrea Petkovic before losing 6-2, 6-4 to Serena Williams.
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14
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Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka played three thrillers as No.1 seed in 2012, overcoming defending champion Samantha Stosur and Maria Sharapova before coming runner-up to Serena Williams by a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 scoreline.
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15
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Top seed in New York for the first time in 11 years, Serena Williams claimed her 17th Grand Slam crown - and fifth US Open - in 2013 with a 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-1 repeat of the previous year's final over Victoria Azarenka.
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16
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In 2014, Serena Williams became the first player to successfully defend her US Open crown as the top seed since Stefanie Graf in 1996, beating Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-3 to tie Chris Evert's Open Era record of six trophies here.
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17
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Serena Williams was bidding for both her fourth consecutive US Open title and a first Calendar Year Grand Slam in 2015, but the No.1 seed fell 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 to the No.43-ranked Roberta Vinci in the semifinals in one of the biggest upsets of all time.
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18
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Serena Williams's most recent appearance as the No.1 seed in a major was at the 2016 US Open, where she defeated Simona Halep in a quarterfinal thriller but fell in the semifinals for the second straight year, this time 6-2, 7-6(5) to Karolina Pliskova.
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19
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Karolina Pliskova was top seed at a major for the first time in 2017, and after surviving first-week three-setters against Nicole Gibbs and Zhang Shuai, fell 7-6(4), 6-3 to CoCo Vandeweghe in the quarterfinals.
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20
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Simona Halep became the first US Open No.1 seed to lose in the first round in the Open Era in 2018 after the Roland Garros champion fell 6-2, 6-4 to World No.44 and notorious upset artist Kaia Kanepi.
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21
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Defending champion Naomi Osaka was top seed at a major for the second time in 2019, but fell 7-5, 6-4 to Belinda Bencic in the fourth round for the third time that season.
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22
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Pliskova is the No.1 seed again in 2020. Her previous best in New York was reaching the final in 2016.
