Ivan Lendl reached a record eight consecutive US Open men’s singles finals from 1982 through 1989. No other man has reached eight straight finals at the same major.
Lendl’s streak began with a loss to Jimmy Connors in 1982 and continued through 1989. He won three titles during the run, defeating John McEnroe in 1985, Miloslav Mečíř in 1986 and Mats Wilander in 1987. He also lost finals to Connors, McEnroe, Wilander and Boris Becker.
The record illustrates both Lendl’s consistency and the unusual difficulty of winning the US Open across an entire decade. He reached 19 Grand Slam singles finals overall and won eight major titles: three US Opens, three French Opens and two Australian Opens. A common mix-up is to credit Connors or McEnroe because both were central rivals during the streak, but the consecutive-final record belongs to Lendl.