Unseeded players to become champions at Grand Slams in Open Era

Australia’s Mark Edmondson became the first unseeded Grand Slam singles champion in the Open era.

Historically, the top-ranked players at the Grand Slams have made victory a habit, ensuring their near-total dominance across all four major tournaments. The underdogs, often unseeded, enter and depart from the event without sharing the spotlight or media attention. 

At times, we get to witness a true David vs Goliath story in tennis, where an unseeded player refuses to bow out quietly. He chooses instead to challenge and upend the existing order and shed the journeyman tag on the sport’s biggest stage. 

On that note, let’s take a look at the list of unseeded players to become champions at Grand Slams in the Open Era.

Mark Edmondson – 1976 Australian Open

Mark Edmonson has the honour of being the first unseeded champion at a Grand Slam. He achieved the milestone at the 1976 Australian Open when the event was played on grass. Edmonson was having a countryman and the No. 2 seed, John Newcombe, in the finals. 

Newcombe was the defending champion and had won the tournament in 1973 as well. He was aiming for an eighth Grand Slam title that never came. Instead, Edmonson went on to claim his maiden Grand Slam title with a 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1 over John Newcombe. It was to be Edmonson’s only major title in his career. 

Mats Wilander – 1982 French Open

Mats Wilander stepped into fellow Swede Bjorn Borg’s shoes a year after Borg retired. Borg had won his fourth title in 1981. Wilander went on to win the French Open title in 1982 as an unseeded player. At 17 years and 9 months, Wilander defeated third seed Guillermo Vilas to become the youngest Roland Garros champion. 

The Swede emerged as the winner after defeating Vilas 1-6, 7-6, 6-0, 6-4 after four hours and 42 minutes of play. The improbable triumph was one of the biggest surprises at the French Open.

Boris Becker – 1985 Wimbledon

Boris Becker made his way to London to play the 1985 edition of Wimbledon with an ATP Ranking of World No. 20. The German had won the grass-court event at Queen’s Club shortly before the grass-court major. Becker was 17 when he arrived at SW19 and defeated three top-ten players en route to his first Grand Slam title. 

After defeating Kevin Curren 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 in their summit clash, Becker departed London with a laundry list of records to his name – youngest winner at a singles Grand Slam event, youngest male singles winner at Wimbledon, the first unseeded champion in tournament history, and the first German to win the title at SW19. Becker defended his title in 1986 with an emphatic 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 win over Ivan Lendl. 

Andre Agassi – 1994 US Open

Andre Agassi made his first final at Flushing Meadows in 1990, where he lost to Pete Sampras. Four years would pass before he got another chance at the title. Agassi made history at the 1994 US Open by becoming the first unseeded player in tournament history.

In the 1994 edition, he defeated Michael Stich 6-1, 7-6(5), 7-5 to win the US Open for the first time. He was ranked No. 20 in the ATP Rankings and unseeded. The showman from Las Vegas defeated Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, and Pete Sampras, all previous champions in New York City, en route to the title. 

Richard Krajicek – 1996 Wimbledon

Richard Krajicek stunned defending champion Pete Sampras in the quarter-finals in 1996 before going on to claim victory over another American, Malivai Washington, in straight sets. The 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 win by Krajicek made him the second unseeded player after Boris Becker to hold aloft the Wimbledon singles trophy. 

Richard Krajicek became the first Dutch player to win the singles title at Wimbledon. It was also his only title-round appearance. Krajicek made the last four in 1998 at SW19 but lost to Goran Ivanisevic in a five-setter – 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(5), 13-15.

Gustavo Kuerten – 1997 French Open

Gustavo Kuerten won three Roland Garros trophies in his career, the first of which came in 1997 when he was ranked No. 66 and unseeded. Kuerten, then 20, defeated Sergi Bruguera 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in the finals. Bruguera was a former French Open champion, having won the title in 1993 and 1994.

Kuerten also accounted for 1995 winner Thomas Muster (6-7 (3), 6-1, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4) and defending champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov (6-2, 5-7, 2-6, 6-0, 6-4) to complete the trifecta of upsets in the French capital. The Brazilian went on to win two more Roland Garros titles in 2000 and 2001.

Goran Ivanisevic – 2001 Wimbledon

Goran Ivanisevic has a storied history with Wimbledon. The Croat made three finals at the grass-court major between 1992 and 1998 but could not lay his hands on the trophy. Two of those three losses came after gruelling five-setters to Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. 

When he accepted a wildcard to play in the 2001 edition at Wimbledon, Ivanisevic seemed like an unlikely prospect. The 29-year-old Ivanisevic arrived at SW19 ranked No.125 and looked far removed from being a serious contender.

Sampras was gunning for a fifth Wimbledon title and eighth overall. But 19-year-old Roger Federer knocked out the defending champion in the round of 16, making Ivanisevic’s path to the final a lot easier. 

The Croat eliminated two British hopefuls, Greg Rusedski and Tim Henman, to set up the title round clash against Patrick Rafter. Ivanisevic crossed the finish line 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 after three hours and two minutes of play to become the only wildcard and lowest-ranked winner in Wimbledon history.

Gaston Gaudio – 2004 French Open

The 2004 French Open finals saw Guillermo Coria face Gaston Gaudio in an all-Argentine final. Coria, ranked No. 3, was the overwhelming favourite against his unseeded opponent, Gaston Gaudio. When Coria took the first two sets, it appeared that he would become the first Argentine since Guillermo Vilas in 1977 to be crowned French Open champion.  

Coria quickly stormed to a 6-0, 6-3 lead and was a set away from his maiden Grand Slam win. However, Gaudio was in no mood to stand by and let the opportunity slip away without a fight. He had never reached the quarter-final stage at a major before.

After three and a half hours on the court, the 26-year-old Gaudio became the first man in the 21st century to win a Roland Garros final from two sets down. The final scoreline read 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 in his favour.

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