Boris Becker defeated Ivan Lendl in the final, 7–6(7–2), 1–6, 6–3, 7–6(7–4) to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1989 US Open. It was Lendl's eighth consecutive singles final appearance at the US Open. Lendl became the first man in the Open Era to finish runner-up five times at the same major. Mats Wilander was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to 18-year-old and future world No. 1 Pete Sampras.