Gauff's WTA Finals crown, Fritz's US Open run among American highlights in 2024

At the close of the 2024 tennis season, five Americans sit inside the Top 25 of both the WTA and ATP singles rankings, while eight women are among the doubles Top 25. 

Coco Gauff closed the year at world No. 3 after hitting a career-high of No. 2 in June, while Taylor Fritz ends the season at a career-best world No. 4. Gauff is joined by Jessica Pegula and WTA Most Improved Player of the Year Emma Navarro in the Top 10, with Danielle Collins closing the year at No. 11 and Madison Keys at No. 21. Fritz is followed by Tommy Paul at world No. 12, Frances Tiafoe at No. 18, Ben Shelton at No. 21 and Sebastian Korda at No. 22.

As 2024 comes to a close, USTA.com recaps six of the top stories in American professional tennis this season.

1) Coco Gauff wins third title of year at WTA Finals

After winning trophies in Auckland and Beijing early and late in the season, Gauff saved her best week for last. Competing at the prestigious WTA Finals for the third time, the American continued her incremental progress at the season finale to claim the title after a round-robin exit and a semifinal showing the previous two years.

After beating the top two players in the world—Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek—en route to the final, Gauff sealed the title with a 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2) comeback victory against Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen.

In a three-hour final against the Chinese star, Gauff came back from a break down in the second set and twice recovered a break in the final frame, including stopping Zheng from serving out the match at 5-4.

2) Fritz reaches US Open final, backs it up with ATP Finals runner-up finish

Even before the US Open, Taylor Fritz had more Grand Slam match wins in 2024 than in any previous year. After reaching the quarterfinals at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, Fritz capped a career-best season at the Slams (17-4) by advancing to his first major final on home soil.

Fritz's US Open run went through Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev before a semifinal showdown with compatriot Frances Tiafoe. Fritz prevailed, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1, in that historic matchup become the first American major finalist in men's singles since Andy Roddick at Wimbledon in 2009.

"It’s the reason I do what I do, the reason why I work so hard. I’m in the final of the US Open," Fritz said through tears in his post-match interview. "It’s a dream come true and I’m going to give it everything I possibly have. I know that for a fact."

3) Danielle Collins wins home title in Miami

In one of the feel-good stories of the WTA season, a 30-year-old Collins won the biggest title of her career at the Miami Open. At her home tournament, the St. Petersburg, Fla., native won 14 consecutive sets to claim her third WTA singles title and her first at the WTA 1000 level. 

She capped her run with a 7-5, 6-3 victory against returning Elena Rybakina, who was competing in the Miami final for the second straight year.

"What a dream come true to have played at the level that I have played consistently over the last two weeks," she said in her post-match press conference. "This has been such a journey for me. Thirty years old, this was my first 1000 [final], and it's been a different journey than I think a lot of the stories that we're familiar with."

4) Krajicek/Ram win Olympic doubles silver, Fritz/Paul take bronze

After a pair of eventful runs to the Paris podum, Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram took home the silver medal, with Fritz and Paul earning bronze.

Fourth seeds Krajicek and Ram beat Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals and reached the gold medal match without losing a set. They took the opening set in the final but narrowly missed out on the title in a 6-7(6), 7-6(1), 10-8 defeat to Aussies Matthew Ebden and John Peers.

Third seeds Fritz and Paul ended the career of Great Britain's Andy Murray by beating him and Daniel Evans in the quarterfinals. Like Krajicek and Ram, the Americans did not drop a set in their four victories. After losing to the Aussie gold medalists in the semis, they secured a medal with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Czechs Tomas Machac and Adam Pavlasek.

5) Pegula beats Swiatek on way to US Open final

Pegula, who had previously reached six major quarterfinals, beat top seed Swiatek in New York to advance beyond that stage for the first time at a Slam. She then defeated Karolina Muchova to make her first Slam final before coming up just short in a high-quality final against Sabalenka.

Pegula also won her second straight WTA 1000 in Canada this season—joining Collins and Gauff as American singles winners at the WTA 1000 level in 2024—before reaching the Cincinnati final. In a sparkling extended run across Toronto, Cincinnati and New York, she posted a 15-2 record.

Ending the year at world No. 7, Pegula finished inside the Top 10 for the third consecutive season.

6) Navarro wins first title, reaches US Open semis and makes Top 10 debut

A year that Navarro began with her first WTA title ended with her inside the Top 10. The WTA's Most Improved Player of the Year moved up 30 spots to world No. 8 this season behind her trophy run in Hobart and advances to the Wimbledon quarterfinals and the US Open semis.

In her first full season on the WTA Tour, Navarro also reached the Indian Wells quarters and the Toronto semis. Posting a 14-4 record at the majors and making at least the third round at all four Slams, Navarro broke into the Top 10 immediately following her US Open semifinal showing. At her home Slam, Navarro beat Gauff in the fourth round and Paula Badosa in the quarters, joining eventual finalists Pegula and Fritz among three American singles semifinalists.