Since the Open Era began, three men have won the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and the US Open in the same year.
Spain’s Rafael Nadal was the last player to do so, winning the treble in 2013, following in the footsteps of Andy Roddick, who did the same 10 years earlier.
Which American ATP player will be the next to win a major title, where and when?
Andy Roddick was the last American man to win a Grand Slam singles title – At the 2003 US Open…
But it was Australia’s Pat Rafter who was the first to win all three in the same year, making history in 1998.
Pat Rafter became the first man in the Open Era to win the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open and US Open in a year
Rafter had already proven himself as an elite performer on hard courts before 1998, having won the US Open title a year earlier.
Returning to North America in 1998, the pressure was on Rafter, after a fairly underwhelming start to the year.
Rafter had won two smaller titles in India and the Netherlands, but didn’t reach the fourth round of the Australian Open, French Open, or Wimbledon, and had only won one match at the Masters 1000 level.
Determined to find some form ahead of his US Open title defence, the Aussie did just that, winning his maiden Masters 1000 tournament in style, taking home the Canadian Open trophy without dropping a set.
Pat Rafter at the 1998 Canadian Open
- 2R [WIN] vs (Q) Neville Godwin, 7-5, 6-3
- 3R [WIN] vs (14) Mark Philippoussis, 6-3, 6-3
- QF [WIN] vs (5) Jonas Bjorkman, 6-3, 6-2
- SF [WIN] vs (7) Tim Henman, 6-2, 6-4
- F [WIN] vs (6) Richard Krajicek, 7-6, 6-4
After a successful stay in Toronto, Rafter headed over to the States for the Cincinnati Open.
There, he won his second consecutive Masters 1000 title, stunning the defending champion, Pete Sampras, in the final.
Pat Rafter at the 1998 Cincinnati Open
- 2R [WIN] vs Guillaume Raoux, 6-1, 6-3
- 3R [WIN] vs Todd Martin, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
- QF [WIN] vs (3) Petr Korda, 6-4, 7-6
- SF [WIN] vs (7) Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 7-5, 6-0
- F [WIN] vs (1) Pete Sampras, 1-6, 7-6, 6-4
He then travelled to New York for the US Open.
Rafter was one of the pre-tournament favourites, but as his rival, Sampras, said during a press conference at the event, ‘seven or eight players’ were in with a chance of winning the title.
“Well, obviously one’s [Pat] Rafter, [Andre] Agassi, [Richard] Krajicek, [Goran] Ivanisevic, [Michael] Chang, who hasn’t, he seems to be playing pretty well now. [Yevgeny] Kafelnikov. Am I missing anyone?” said Sampras.
“You can’t discount [Marcelo] Rios. He hasn’t played a great summer, but he is definitely a threat. [Petr] Korda.”
Rafter very nearly fell at the first hurdle, falling behind two sets to love against Morocco’s Hicham Arazi in his opener, but fought back to win in five.
He then stepped into gear, dropping just one more set on his way to the semi-finals.
There, he met Sampras, a four-time US Open champion.
Delivering one of the finest performances of his professional career, Rafter defeated Sampras in five sets to reach his second US Open final.
And just as he did the year before, Rafter won the final in four sets to take the title.
Pat Rafter at the 1998 US Open
- 1R [WIN] vs Hicham Arazi, 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-1
- 2R [WIN] vs Hernan Gumy, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
- 3R [WIN] vs (Q) David Nainkin, 6-1, 6-1, 6-1
- 4R [WIN] vs (14) Goran Ivanisevic, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
- QF [WIN] vs (12) Jonas Bjorkman, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5
- SF [WIN] vs (1) Pete Sampras, 6-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
- F [WIN] vs Mark Philippoussis, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, 6-0
Rafter had done what no other man had during the Open Era: He’d won the Canadian Open, Cincinnati Open, and the US Open in the same year.
Unfortunately for Rafter, he never won another Grand Slam or Masters 1000 title and played his final match in 2001, before retiring from tennis two years later.
He did, however, hold the number-one ranking for one week and reached two more Grand Slam finals, at Wimbledon.
Can Jannik Sinner join Pat Rafter on exclusive list this year?
If anyone is going to win the three ‘big titles’ in North America this year, you’d have to imagine it would be Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
The world number one has won all five Masters 1000 events this year, and has clearly established himself as the best hard-court player in men’s tennis.
Sinner is the favourite for every tournament he enters right now, although that may change when Carlos Alcaraz returns.
The Spaniard hasn’t played since injuring his wrist in April, but is expected to be back in time for the Cincinnati Open.
If he is fully ready to compete, Alcaraz might stop Sinner from making even more history in 2026.
