Marin Čilić (2014 US Open): would things have changed if Djokovic wasn't upset by Nishikori? Perhaps, but don't discount the fact that Čilić had to pull off his own upset Federer in the semis (also, against Berdych in the quarters) as well before knocking off Nishikori in three sets. It's always nice to see someone other than the big 3 get a chance and this year in Queens, it was Čilić's turn.
Juan Martín del Potro (2009 US Open): you really gotta hand it to del Potro. He crushed Nadal in the semis but had to face up against Federer's 5-straight US Open titles. A very underrated 5-set match culminated in the end of the Swiss' reign at Arthur Ashe and a nice one-hit wonder in the books. Note that del Potro also had to knock off Nadal in the semis. A very deserved win and a nice non-big 3 entry.
Gastón Gaudio (2004 French Open): 5 years prior, fellow Argentinean Gaudio also put himself in the one-hit wonder books. This was one of the more interesting runs considering that Gaudio was ranked 44th, but he completed upsets of 12th-ranked Hewitt and 8th-ranked Nalbandian before pulling off the win over 3rd-ranked fellow countryman Coria in 5 sets (the last of which ended 8-6).
Andy Roddick (2003 US Open): for all the criticism Roddick gets at times, the one thing you cannot criticize him for is his lack of a Grand Slam title. True, it took place before the height of the current big 3 era, but it's a major and it very much counts. While the US Open crowd was very much disappointed in the lack of an all-American final with Agassi falling in the semis, Roddick finished the deal by defeating 3rd-seeded Ferrero in 3 sets to win the USA's last men's Grand Slam. Speaking of which...
Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003 French Open): don't feel too bad for Ferrero; he had his one-hit wonder spotlight at Roland Garros that year. Compared to other one-hit wonders, Ferrero may have had a bit more conventional run as he was number 3 at the time and didn't have to beat a higher seeded player. Also, would things have been different if Verkerk didn't upset Coria in the semis? I don't think it's worth thinking about too much. It was a great and well-deserved title. And he defeated fellow countryman Albert Costa in the semis along the way, which leads us to...
Albert Costa (2002 French Open): I must warn you that the French Open has seen more one-hit wonders than the other Grand Slams and it's not hard to understand why. A 20th-ranked Costa came into Roland Garros played well in the first four rounds and despite being the 2nd-lowest ranked player in the quarterfinals draw, made it to the finals and beat a higher-ranked Ferrero for a very-much earned French Open victory.
Thomas Johansson (2002 Australian Open): 2002 was a very kind year for one-hit wonders. Johansson was ranked 16th heading into Melbourne but made it to the quarters, the semis, and then, the finals against Safin. In that game, he won 3 straight sets after dropping the first to claim Sweden's last men's Grand Slam title.
Goran Ivanišević (2001 Wimbledon): talk about a miracle. Ivanišević, a WC entrant, pounded his way to the finals, defeating the likes of Safin and Henmin along the way and finally upending Rafter in a thrilling 5-set affair, the last of which went to 9-7. Not only was he the first WC to ever win a Grand Slam, but I don't think that Agassi making the finals instead would've changed the results either. Ivanišević simply gained too much steam heading into the final day at Centre Court. There's no stopping that Cinderella story.
Carlos Moyá (1998 French Open): Moyá may not have had the hardest road to the championship on this list, but he still had to beat 3rd-ranked Rios in the quarters to move on. This was very much a Spanish-dominated draw and Moyá finished off business by handily beating countryman Corretja in 3 straight sets in the final.
Petr Korda (1998 Australian Open): Korda was actually ranked 6th heading into Melbourne, but he still had noteworthy competition to face up against. He had to grind out a 5-set victory over Björkman in the quarters then get over Cinderella story Kučera (who had knocked off Sampras) in the semis before knocking out 9th-ranked Rios to claim his first and only and the Czech Republic's last men's Grand Slam.
Richard Krajicek (1996 Wimbledon): if you wonder why Sampras didn't win 8 straight Wimbledons from 1993-2000, just remember this guy's name. He pulled off a stunning win over Sampras in the quarters, and mind you, it wasn't even that close (3 straight sets). Krajicek didn't have to face off against any other powerhouses after that, defeating Stolenberg and Washington (both of which had pulled off upsets of their own) to claim the title. Still one of the more remarkable and upset-worthy Grand Slam performances. Also noteworthy is that only one match Krajicek played went more than 3 sets: a third-round matchup against Steven that went 4.
Thomas Muster (1995 French Open): Muster was ranked 5 going into Roland Garros but still had to defeat the likes of Kafelnikov in the semis (who had beaten Sampras the previous game), then Chang in the finals (who had denied Bruguera a potential French Open 3-peat in the semis). Muster prevailed in three straight sets to earn a spot in French Open lore and give Austria its last men's Grand Slam title.
Michael Stich (1991 Wimbledon): Stich was ranked number 6 but had a brutal draw from the quarterfinals onward as everyone from ranks 1-7 except the 3-seed Ivan Lendl had made it to that round. This meant that Stich had to face higher-ranked opponents the rest of the way, but it was no sweat as he easily dispatched Courier, handled top-ranked Edberg in an underrated match in which 3 of the 4 sets went to tiebreaker, and then knocked off countryman Becker to claim his first and only. Must have been especially cool to do so at Wimbledon too.
Andres Gomez (1990 French Open): Gómez was sitting toward the top ranked 4 and had a relatively easy ride (including avoiding having to play 14th-ranked Gustafsson due to withdrawal) to the semis, where he knocked off 7th-ranked Muster (don't worry, he made up for it 5 years later) and then handily defeating Agassi to win a well-deserved title at Roland Garros. As for Agassi, he would get his French Open title 9 years later.
Michael Chang (1989 French Open): this was one of my favorites simply because when I first watched it, I could relate to Chang as a young Asian American. Notably, Chang knocked off top-ranked Ivan Lendl in the fourth round, coming back from 2-0 down to win in 5 sets. The quarters and semis were a bit easier but he had a date with 3rd-ranked Edberg in the finals, where Chang once again came back, this time from 2-1 down, to win in 5 sets and become the youngest ever men's Grand Slam winner. Chang didn't win another major, but he left his mark on the tennis world, and my heart. And on another side note, Chang also defeated a young Sampras in this tournament as well.
Pat Cash (1987 Wimbledon): just two years earlier, Lendl suffered another upset, this time in the Wimbledon. Cash was ranked 11th but he had to face a very tough draw from the quarters onward. No sweat, however; he easily manhandled Wilander and Courier in 3 sets each to set up said matchup against Lendl. I don't think I need to tell you how many sets it took to defeat the 2nd-ranked Czech.
Yannick Noah (1983 French Open): ranked 6th, Noah might have caught a break with Connors getting eliminated in the quarters but Noah had to do his part at the expense of (drum roll please) 3rd-ranked Lendl, who suffered an upset loss to yet another eventual one-hit wonder (seriously, Lendl's misfortune in this regard is insane). After defeating fellow countryman Roger-Vasselin in the semis, Noah knocked off Wilander in the finals to add to the one-hit wonder miracles of Roland Garros.
Brian Teacher (1980 Australian Open): the 8th-seeded American may not have had to play any higher-ranked opponents but that didn't mean he was completely free of playing ranked opponents period. Teacher broke the hearts of Australians three times in a row, defeating 12th-ranked McNamee in the quarterfinals, 15th-ranked McNamara in the semifinals, and finally 14th-ranked Warwick in the finals to claim his first and only down under.
Vitas Gerulaitis (Dec 1977 Australian Open): the Australian Open wasn't quite on the same level at this time but it made for some interesting Grand Slam winners. Gerulaitis, as the top-ranked player in the tournament, cruised for the most part but had to endure a grueling 5-set affair with Lloyd in the finals after blowing a 2-0 lead, but managing to win anyways.
Roscoe Tanner (Jan 1977 Australian Open): Tanner, as the 2nd-ranked in the tournament, had a fairly clear path up until the semis when he matched up with 4th-ranked Rosewall in the semis, whom he put away in 4 sets. Facing top-ranked Vilas in the finals, Tanner also put him away in 3 sets to earn his first and only. As for Vilas? He's only go on to win 4 Grand Slam titles.
Adriano Panatta (1976 French Open): despite being ranked 8th heading in, Panatta had an early scare in the first round, needing to save match point, but survived. His best victory came in the quarterfinals against who else but the 2-time defending Borg in 4 sets. He then put away 6th-ranked Dibbs in the semis and 7th-ranked Solomon in the finals for the win.
Mark Edmondson (1976 Australian Open): the Australian Open was still mostly Australian tennis players at this point but that doesn't take away from the fact that Edmondson, a player ranked outside of the top 15 in the tournament, rolled through the competition which included a win over top-ranked Rosewall in the semis and then a win over 2nd-ranked Newcombe in the finals.
Manual Orantes (1975 US Open): despite being the 3rd-ranked heading in, Orantes had to earn this win. In the quarters, he got a nice win against Năstase but then found himself down 2-0 against Vilas in the semis. No sweat, he pulled off the furious comeback to set up a matchup against Connors, whom he had a much easier time defeating in 3 sets to claim his first and only.
Andrés Gimeno (1972 French Open): and the last one-hit wonder is from where else but the French Open? As the 6th-rank coming in, Gimeno still had some tough competition such as 3rd-ranked Smith in the quarterfinals, 10th-ranked Metreveli in the semifinals, and finally 6th-ranked Proisy in the finals. The semis was a particularly exciting 5-set match, and the finals required Gimeno to fight off dropping the first set. Very much deserved for the Spaniard.
Women:
Sofia Kenin (2020 Australian Open): one of a growing wave of new and young women's tennis players, Kenin was the 14th-ranked coming in and wasn't really a favorite to win. She may have gotten a slightly fortunate draw from the quarterfinals onward but she didn't get away from playing top-ranked Barty in the semifinals with the home crowd behind her. But Kenin broke Australia's hearts in that match and then fought to win Muguruza in the finals for her first win and perhaps more to come.
Bianca Andreescu (2019 US Open): Andreescu, at just 19 years old, has plenty of room to keep rising after this win. Reaching the quarterfinals, Andreescu had to come down from dropping her first set against Mertens. After putting away Bencic in the semis, she defeated the great Serena in the final to claim the first of hopefully more to come.
Ashleigh Barty (2019 French Open): while the Australian didn't win on home soil, she was very much a hero for the country last year at Roland Garros. Barty may not have had the toughest draw on paper but she still had to tough it out against players such as Keys in the quarterfinals and then come back against Anisimova in the semis before finishing off Vondroušová in the finals.
Caroline Wozniacki (2018 Australian Open): the Dane who turned pro at just 15 years old had her moments but sadly came up short in 2009 and 2014 at the US Open. Her breakthrough finally came down under as a 2nd-ranked player in the tournament, and after sweeping aside the competition, upended the likes of top-ranked Halep in 3 sets in the finals to win. She retired shortly afterward, and while some were disappointed that she retired so young, at least she did so with a major trophy.
Sloane Stephens (2017 US Open): like her or not, American fans go crazy over Serena, so to see not one but two different Americans in the finals was slightly odd but ultimately a breath of fresh air. Stephens didn't have an easy road to the finals; she was officially PR due to coming back from injury. But she beat the likes of Cibulková, Sevastova, and Venus and finally 15th-ranked Keys to claim a well-deserved US Open title, the first American other than the Williams sisters to win in quite a while.
Jeļena Ostapenko(2017 French Open): now here is another nice story. The young Latvian surprised everyone by eating her way through several higher-ranked opponents, including Stosur and Wozniacki, to help set up a matchday with 3rd-ranked Halep at Roland Garros. Falling down 1-0, Ostapenko climbed back to win in 3 sets to claim her first Grand Slam.
Flavia Pennetta (2015 US Open): I think it was only fair that Pennetta finally win a Grand Slam major (mind you, this came 15 years after she had turned pro). Ranked 26th heading in, she definitely wasn't a favorite but earned her way to the final by defeating 5th-ranked Kvitová and 2nd-ranked Halep before knocking off countrywoman Vinci in 2 sets in the finals. I was really sad that Vinci had to lose this match, but Pennetta ultimately had a mission to complete and she succeeded.
Marion Bartoli (2013 Wimbledon): Bartoli may not have had to play the likes of Serena or Azarenka in this tournament but make no mistake, Bartoli absolutely deserved to win this one and it was well-deserved 13 years after turning pro. Defeating the likes of Stephens and Flipkens along the way, Bartoli had to matchup with Lisicki, which she defeated in 2 sets to claim her first.
Samantha Stosur (2011 US Open): Stosur had a great run to the US Open finals, and arguably the highlight win was a dismantling of then 2-seed Zvonareva in the quarters. After knocking out Kerber in the semis, she was set up against who else but Serena. Drowning out all of the Serena-isms she had to endure that match, she tore her apart in two sets for a title she definitely earned. And Serena remains 1-2 against Stosur in Grand Slam matchups to this day. Truly a hero for a big chunk of the women's tennis world.
Francesca Schiavone (2010 French Open): Schiavone was ranked 17th coming into this one and prior to this edition at Roland Garros, had only advanced to the quarterfinals once. But Schiavone proved up to the task, upsetting the likes of Li, Wozniacki, and Dementieva before winning a two set matchup against Stosur, the last of which went to a tiebreak. Schiavone may not be as decorated as some other women's tennis stars but one thing she does not have is an empty trophy case. As for Stosur? She more than made up for it the following year.
Ana Ivanovic (2008 French Open): I, for one, was really glad that Ivanovic at least got to celebrate one Grand Slam title in her career and never really understood why some people didn't like her (at least one person I know keeps insisting on calling her one of the biggest modern-day tennis underachievers). Whatever the case may be, she was the 2nd-ranked player coming in and she definitely played like she deserved that ranking. Only one match she played went to a third set, and of course it was against Janković in the semis. I honestly think beating Janković was the catalyst Ivanovic needed to claim her first Grand Slam title against Safina.
Anastasia Myskina (2004 French Open): seriously, the number of French Open one-hit wonders compared to the rest is getting really amazing at this point even with the prior warning about this Grand Slam. Although ranked 6th coming in, Myskina had some tough competition to face especially in the later rounds. But she proved up to the challenge, double KO-ing the Americans in Venus and Myskina before eliminating countrywoman Dementieva in two sets to win.
Jana Novotná (1998 Wimbledon): Novotná was looking to contend for a deep run but she had some tough competition to get past if she hoped to win. Despite having a draw that included her having to play an up-and-coming Venus and the top-ranked Hingis, she handily took care of both in two sets and then knocked out Tauzlet in the Finals for her first.
Iva Majoli (1997 French Open): if you ever wonder why Hingis failed to win the Grand Slam in 1997, remember this name. Majoli was ranked 9 in this tournament but had to knock out 5th-ranked Davenport in the fourth round and then survive a quarterfinals draw featuring Graf, Seles, and of course, Hingis. Majoli would not get away from facing the latter in the finals, but she handily put her away in two sets to win.
Conchita Martinez (1994 Wimbledon): Martinez may have gotten slightly fortunate in avoiding three-time defending champion Graf from the quarterfinals draw onward but she still had to earn her way to the championship by defeating Davenport in the quarters and then Navratilova in the finals for the win. To make things more amazing, all of Martinez' matches from the fourth round onward went to three sets. A grueling adventure at least came to a wonderful end for the Spaniard.
Gabriela Sabatini (1990 US Open): Sabatini is very much the Atlanta Braves of the women's tennis world (sorry for the baseball reference); she won so much and had amazing runs in the playoffs that you had to wonder that even with the strong competition she faced, how she only came away with one Grand Slam. Ranked 5th heading in, Sabatini got over the semifinals hump by beating Fernandez in 3 sets and then got an extremely nice finals win over who else but Graf. She would never taste victory again, but to any of her detractors, she got one and that's one more than so many others.
Virginia Ruzici (1978 French Open): we have to skip back two decades for our next entry. The Romanian was the 2nd-ranked heading in and she played like she deserved it, and this included a very decisive victory in the finals over the top-ranked Jaušovic in 2 relatively quick sets. Speaking of which...
Mima Jaušovic (1977 French Open): don't feel too bad for Jaušovic as she had her chance to shine the previous year. As with last year, Jaušovic came in as the top-ranked player, one of the few on this list to have this distinction. She may not have had the same runs as the others but she still had to knock off 4th-ranked Maršiková in the semis before finishing it off against Mihai in the finals to claim her first and only.
Kerry Melville Reid (Jan 1977 Australian Open): if you wonder why Goolagang didn't win 5 straight Australian Open's from 1974-Dec 1977, know that she didn't compete in this edition, leaving it wide open for new blood. Reid was the one to take advantage of this as the 2nd-ranked in this competition, and this includes wins over 3rd-ranked Gouray in the semis and top-ranked Fromholtz in the finals.
Sue Barker (1976 French Open): the field was left wide open as Chris Evert chose not to defend her 2 straight French Opens. This left Barker as the top-ranked in the tournament, and she did not disappoint, although she had her fair share of difficult matches from the fourth round onward. She never quit, however, and finally beat Tomanová in the finals to win and add the final entry of the French Open on this list.
Of course. But Marat Safin became world no. 1, Wozniacki was very consistently world no. 1, Chang was no. 2 for a long time, etc. The difference is Emma was much more just a flash in the pan.
