Craig Tiley, Eric Butorac, Stan Wawrinka
USTA CEO Craig Tiley (L) and US Open Tournament Director Eric Butorac (R), present Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland with a poster after a loss against Matteo Berrettini of Italy during their Men's Singles First Round match on Day Two of the 2026 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2026 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

Stan Wawrinka's Grand Slam career came to a close Monday at the US Open, where the 2016 champion lost to Matteo Berrettini 7-6 (4), 7-6 (3), 6-0 in his 18th and final appearance at Flushing Meadows.

Wawrinka, 41, had been given a wild card into the tournament as part of what he has said will be his last season on tour before retiring. The match echoed the pair's meeting at Wimbledon earlier this year, a four-set match in which every set went to a tiebreak and Berrettini also came out on top. This time, after Wawrinka's serve was broken to open the third set, Berrettini pulled away for the rest of the match.

Wawrinka nearly didn't get the chance to say goodbye at the tournament where he won the last of his three major titles. The USTA initially awarded its final men's singles wild card to American Patrick Kypson, ranked No. 115, and Wawrinka returned home to Switzerland after already traveling to New York. When Kypson withdrew from the tournament with an injury, Wawrinka learned Wednesday that the wild card would go to him instead, and he flew back for the tournament.

He was honored on court by USTA officials following the match.

"I'm going to miss it for sure. I'm going to miss it big time. I love the game," Wawrinka said.

Speaking further about what New York has meant to him over his career, he reflected on the two decades since his first appearance in the city.

"It has been 20 years since I first came to New York," Wawrinka said. "But over the years, I have received so much support and love. Because of you, I really enjoyed it and I found a way to play my best tennis here."

He credited the crowd's support across his career for keeping him on tour into his forties.

"Tonight, again, was the reason why I kept playing until 41," Wawrinka said. "This is an amazing sport."

He also addressed the wild card that brought him back to the tournament.

"I am super grateful for the wild card because it was important for me to have the opportunity to finish playing all four Grand Slams here in New York," Wawrinka said.

A video review was called during the third set to determine whether Wawrinka had made contact with the ball twice on a volley; after a lengthy delay and protest from Berrettini, the shot was confirmed legal. Berrettini was booed by the crowd following the review, though he and Wawrinka shared a laugh on court afterward.

Berrettini had the crowd cheering for him again by the match's end, tapping his racket to his hand and pointing it toward Wawrinka after the final point.

"Delighted to share the court against this legend of our sport once again," Berrettini said.

Wawrinka finishes his US Open career with a 46-17 record across 18 appearances, including runs to the semifinals in 2013 and 2015 in addition to his 2016 title, when he beat Novak Djokovic in the final. He was ranked as high as No. 3 in the world and also won the Australian Open and French Open during his career.

Berrettini, who reached the 2021 Wimbledon final and the 2019 US Open semifinals, advances to face Mariano Navone, who upset fourth-seeded Djokovic on Sunday night.

Originally published on sportsworldnews.com