US Open (tennis)

Coordinates: 40°44′59.26″N 73°50′45.91″W / 40.7497944°N 73.8460861°W

US Open
Official website
Founded 1881
Location New York City, New York,
United States
Venue USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Surface Grass - outdoors (1881–1974)
Clay - outdoors (1975–1977)
Hard (DecoTurf[1]) - outdoors (1978–present)
Prize money $ 38,251,760 (2014)
Men's
Draw 128S / 128Q / 64D
Current champions Marin Čilić (singles)
Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan (doubles)
Most singles titles 7
Richard Sears
Bill Larned
Bill Tilden
Most doubles titles 6
Richard Sears
Holcombe Ward
Women's
Draw 128S / 128Q / 64D
Current champions Serena Williams (singles)
Ekaterina Makarova / Elena Vesnina (doubles)
Most singles titles 8
Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
Most doubles titles 13
Margaret Osborne duPont
Mixed Doubles
Draw 32
Current champions Sania Mirza / Bruno Soares
Most titles (male) 4
Bill Tilden
Bill Talbert
Bob Bryan
Most titles (female) 8
Margaret Osborne duPont
Margaret Court
Grand Slam
Last Completed
2014 US Open

The United States Open Tennis Championships is a hardcourt tennis tournament which is the modern version of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, the U.S. National Championship, for which men's singles was first contested in 1881. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final tennis major comprising the Grand Slam each year; the other three are the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.

The US Open is held annually in late August and early September over a two-week period. The main tournament consists of five event championships: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles, and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for senior, junior, and wheelchair players. Since 1978, the tournament has been played on acrylic hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City. The US Open is owned and organized by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a not-for-profit organization. Net proceeds from ticket sales are used to promote the development of tennis in the United States.

The US Open has tiebreaks in every set, including the last set. The other three Grand Slam tournaments have tiebreaks in every set other than the last set (i.e. the fifth set for men and third set for women), and therefore their last set continues indefinitely until a two-game lead is reached.

History

Newport Casino Tennis Court

Newport Casino

The tournament was first held in August 1881 on the grass courts at the Newport Casino, Newport, Rhode Island and in that first year only clubs that were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) were permitted to enter.[2] The first edition was won by Richard Sears who went on to win seven consecutive singles titles.[3] From 1884 through 1911, the tournament used a challenge system whereby the defending champion automatically qualified for the next year's final in which he would play the winner of the all-comers tournament. In 1915 the national championship was relocated from Newport, Rhode Island to the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills, New York. Already in 1911 an effort was made by a group of tennis players, headed by Karl H. Behr from New York, to relocate the tournament to New York but by a vote of 95 to 60 it was decided to remain in Newport.[4]

West Side Tennis Club

In early 1915 the issue resurfaced when a group of about 100 tennis players signed a petition in favor of the move, arguing that most tennis clubs, players and fans were located in the New York area and that it would therefore be beneficial for the development of the sport to host the national championship there.[5] This view was opposed by another group of players which included eight former national singles champions.[6][7] The contentious issue was brought to a vote at the annual USNLTA meeting on February 5, 1915 and with 128 votes in favor and 119 against it was decided to relocate.[8][9][10]

Germantown Cricket Club

From 1921 through 1923, the tournament was played at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia.

West Side Tennis Club

It returned to Forest Hills in 1924.[11]

Though regarded unofficially by many as a major championship beforehand, the tournament was officially designated as one of the major tournaments by the ILTF commencing in 1924.

In the first few years of the United States National Championship only men competed and the tournament was known as the US National Singles Championships for Men. Six years after the men's nationals were first held, the first official U.S. Women's National Singles Championship was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club in 1887, won by 17-year-old Philadelphian Ellen Hansell, accompanied by the U.S. Women's National Doubles Championship (not held for the next two years) and U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship (not held in 1899). The women's tournament used a challenge system from 1888 through 1918, except in 1917. Between 1890 and 1906 sectional tournaments were held in the east and the west of the country to determine the best two doubles teams, which competed in a play-off to see who would play the defending champions in the challenge round.[11]

The open era began in 1968 when all five events were merged into the US Open, held at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills. The 1968 combined tournament was open to professionals for the first time. That year, 96 men and 63 women entered the event, and prize money totaled $100,000.

In 1970, the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to use a tiebreak to decide a set that reached a 6–6 score in games and is the only major to use a tiebreak in the deciding set; the other three grand slams play out the deciding set until a two-game margin is achieved. From 1970 to 1974 the US Open used a best-of-nine point, sudden death tiebreaker before moving to the ITF best-of-twelve point system.[3]

In 1973 the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to award equal prize money to men and women with that year's singles champions John Newcombe and Margaret Court both receiving $25,000.[3] Another US Open innovation came in 1975 when floodlights enabled night play for the first time.

USTA National Tennis Center

In 1978 the tournament moved from the West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills, Queens to the larger USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, in the process switching the surface from clay, used in the last three years at Forest Hills, to hard courts. Jimmy Connors is the only individual to have won US Open singles titles on all three surfaces (grass, clay, hardcourt), while Chris Evert is the only woman to win on two surfaces (clay, hardcourt).[3]

The US Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that has been played every year since its inception.[12]

It was announced in December 2012 that the men's singles final will be played on Monday in 2013 and 2014,[13] a decision which has proved unpopular with the Association of Tennis Professionals.[14] The past five men's singles finals had been delayed by one day due to untimely weather conditions. From 2015, the men's final will move back to its traditional Sunday time-slot.[15]

Player challenges of line calls

In 2006, the US Open introduced instant replay reviews of calls, using the Hawk-Eye computer system sponsored by Chase. According to many experts, the system was implemented due to a highly controversial quarterfinal match at the 2004 US Open between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati, where many important line calls went against Williams.[16] Each player is allowed three challenges per set plus one additional challenge during a tiebreak. The player keeps all existing challenges if the challenge is successful. If the challenge is unsuccessful and the original ruling is upheld, the player loses a challenge. Instant replay was initially available only on the stadium courts (Ashe and Armstrong), until 2009 when it became available on the Grandstand as well.

Once a challenge is made, the official review (a 3-D computer simulation based on multiple high-speed video cameras) is shown to the players, umpires, and audience on the stadium video boards and to the television audience at the same time. During the 2011 US Open, 29.78% of men's challenges and 30.2% of women's challenges were correct.[17]

In 2007, JP Morgan Chase renewed its sponsorship of the US Open. As part of its sponsorship arrangement, Chase renamed the tournament's replay system the "Chase Review" on in-stadium video and television.[18]

Grounds

Arthur Ashe stadium

The DecoTurf surface at the US Open is a fast surface, having slightly less friction and producing a lower bounce compared to other hard courts (most notably the Rebound Ace surface formerly used at the Australian Open). For this reason, many serve-and-volley players have found success at the US Open.

The main court is located at the 22,547-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, opened in 1997. It is named after Arthur Ashe, the African American tennis player who won the men's final of the inaugural US Open in 1968. The next largest court is the Louis Armstrong Stadium, opened in 1978, extensively renovated from the Singer Bowl, which was built for the 1964 New York World's Fair. It was the main stadium from 1978 to 1996. Its peak capacity neared 18,000 seats, but was reduced to 10,200 by the removal of the upper tiers of seating after the opening of Arthur Ashe Stadium.[19] The third largest court is the 6,000-seat Grandstand, created when the rectangular Singer Bowl was transformed into the square Armstrong Stadium, leaving about a third of the Bowl available to become another venue.

In 2011, Court 17 was opened as a fourth show court, with large television screens and electronic line calling which allows player challenges. Sunken into the ground, it has been nicknamed "The Pit". It initially held 2,500 with temporary stands, but will allow over 3,000 fans after its completion in 2012. It is located in the southeast corner of the grounds.[20] Sidecourts 4, 7, and 11 each have a seating capacity of over 1,000.

All the courts used by the US Open are illuminated, meaning that television coverage of the tournament can extend into prime time to attract higher ratings. This has recently been used to the advantage of USA Network—and now, ESPN2—on cable and especially for CBS, the American broadcast television outlet for the tournament for many years, which used its influence to move the women's singles final to Saturday night to draw better television ratings.

In 2005, all US Open and US Open Series, tennis courts were given blue inner courts to make it easier to see the ball on television; the outer courts remained green.[21]

During the 2006 US Open, the complex was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in honor of four-time tournament champion and women's tennis pioneer Billie Jean King.

Recent attendances

20142013201220112010200920082007200620052004
713,642713,026710,803658,664712,976721,059720,227715,587640,000659,538631,870

Sources: US Open,[22] City University of New York (CUNY)[23]

Prize money

The total prize money for the 2013 US Open championships is $34,252,000 (in US dollars) which represents an increase of about ten million dollars compared to the 2012 edition.[24] The prize money is divided as follows:[25]

Event W F SF QF 4R 3R 2R 1R Q3 Q2 Q1 Total
Singles 128 Draw $1,900,000 $950,000 $475,000 $237,500 $120,000 $65,000 $37,000 $23,000 $8,638 $5,775 $3,000 $9,406,000
Doubles* 64 Draw $420,000 $210,000 $105,000 $50,000 - $26,000 $16,000 $11,000 - - - $3,712,000
Mixed Doubles* 32 Draw $150,000 $70,000 $30,000 $15,000 - - $10,000 $5,000 - - - $500,000

* per team

In addition to the championship prize money an amount of $410,000 was available for the Champions Invitational and $1,272,000 for player per diem bringing the total player compensation to $25,526,000.[25]

The US Open has made a five-year agreement to increase the total prize money to about $50,000,000 by 2017. As a result the total base prize money for the 2013 tournament has been increased to $33.6 million which is a record $8.1 million increase from 2012. The champions of the 2013 Emirates Airline US Open Series will also have the opportunity to add $2.6 million in bonus prize money, potentially bringing the total 2013 US Open purse to more than $36 million.[26]

Ranking points

Ranking points for the men (ATP) and women (WTA) have varied at the US Open through the years but presently singles players receive the following points:

Event W F SF QF 4R 3R 2R 1R
Singles Men 2000 1200 720 360 180 90 45 10
Women[27] 2000 1300 780 430 240 130 70 10
Doubles Men 2000 1200 720 360 180 90 0 –
Women 2000 1300 780 430 240 130 10 –

Champions

Past champions

Current champions

Event Champion Runner-up Score
Men's Singles Final Croatia Marin Čilić Japan Kei Nishikori 6–3, 6–3, 6–3
Women's Singles Final United States Serena Williams Denmark Caroline Wozniacki 6–3, 6–3
Men's Doubles Final United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan 		Spain Marcel Granollers
Spain Marc López 		6–3, 6–4
Women's Doubles Final Russia Ekaterina Makarova
Russia Elena Vesnina 		Switzerland Martina Hingis
Italy Flavia Pennetta 		2–6, 6–3, 6–2
Mixed Doubles Final India Sania Mirza
Brazil Bruno Soares 		United States Abigail Spears
Mexico Santiago González		 6–1, 2–6, [11–9]

Records

Record Era Player(s) Count Years
Men since 1881
Winner of most
Men's Singles titles		 Before 1968: United States Richard Sears
United States Bill Larned
United States Bill Tilden		 7 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887
1901, 1902, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911
1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1929
After 1967: United States Jimmy Connors
United States Pete Sampras
Switzerland Roger Federer		 5 1974, 1976, 1978, 1982, 1983
1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002
2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Winner of most consecutive
Men's Singles titles		 Before 1968: United States Richard Sears 7 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887
After 1967: Switzerland Roger Federer 5 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
Winner of most
Men's Doubles titles		 Before 1968: United States Richard Sears
United States Holcombe Ward		 6 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887
1899, 1900, 1901, 1904, 1905, 1906
After 1967: United States Bob Bryan
United States Mike Bryan		 5 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014
2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014
Winner of most consecutive
Men's Doubles titles		 Before 1968: United States Richard Sears
 6 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, 1886, 1887
After 1967: Australia Todd Woodbridge
Australia Mark Woodforde		 2 1995, 1996
1995, 1996
Winner of most
Mixed Doubles titles - Men		 Before 1968: United States Bill Tilden
United States Bill Talbert		 4 1913, 1914, 1922, 1923
1943, 1944, 1945, 1946
After 1967: United States Bob Bryan 4 2003, 2004, 2006, 2010
Winner of most Championships
(total: singles, men's doubles,
mixed doubles) - Men		 Before 1968: United States Bill Tilden 16 1913–1929 (7 singles, 5 men's doubles, 4 mixed doubles)
After 1967: United States Bob Bryan 9 2003–2014 (5 men's doubles, 4 mixed doubles)
Women since 1887
Winner of most
Women's Singles titles		 Before 1968: Norway/United States Molla Bjurstedt Mallory 8 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1926
After 1967: United States Chris Evert
United States Serena Williams		 6 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1982
1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014
Winner of most consecutive
Women's Singles titles		 Before 1968: Norway/United States Molla Bjurstedt Mallory
United States Helen Jacobs		 4 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918
1932, 1933, 1934, 1935
After 1967: United States Chris Evert 4 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978
Winner of most
Women's Doubles titles		 Before 1968: United States Margaret Osborne duPont 13 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1955, 1956, 1957
After 1967: United States Martina Navratilova 9 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990
Winner of most consecutive
Women's Doubles titles		 Before 1968: United States Margaret Osborne duPont 10 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950
After 1967: Spain Virginia Ruano Pascual
Argentina Paola Suárez		 3 2002, 2003, 2004
2002, 2003, 2004
Winner of most
Mixed Doubles titles - Women		 All-time: United States Margaret Osborne duPont
Australia Margaret Court		 8 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1958, 1959, 1960
1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972
Before 1968: United States Margaret Osborne duPont 8 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1958, 1959, 1960
After 1967: Australia Margaret Court
United States Billie Jean King
United States Martina Navratilova		 3 1969, 1970, 1972
1971, 1973, 1976
1985, 1987, 2006
Winner of most Championships
(total: singles, women's doubles,
mixed doubles) - women		 All-time: United States Margaret Osborne duPont 25 1941–1960 (3 singles, 13 women's doubles, 9 mixed doubles)
Before 1968: United States Margaret Osborne duPont 25 1941–1960 (3 singles, 13 women's doubles, 9 mixed doubles)
After 1967: United States Martina Navratilova 16 1977–2006 (4 singles, 9 women's doubles, 3 mixed doubles)
Miscellaneous
Youngest winner(single) Men: United States Pete Sampras 19 years and 1 month[28]
Women: United States Tracy Austin 16 years and 8 months[28]
Oldest winner(single) Men: United States William Larned 38 years and 8 months[28]
Women: United States Molla Bjurstedt Mallory 42 years and 5 months[28]

Media coverage

See also

References

Notes

  1. ↑ DecoTurf Tournaments
  2. ↑ "National Lawn-Tennis Tournament" (PDF). The New York Times. July 14, 1881. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed. ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. pp. 10, 452, 454. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  4. ↑ "Tennis Tournament at Newport Again" (PDF). The New York Times. February 4, 1911. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Newport May Lose Tennis Tourney" (PDF). The New York Times. January 17, 1915. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Want Newport for Tennis Tourney" (PDF). The New York Times. January 18, 1915. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  7. ↑ "A Tennis "Solar Plexus`"" (PDF). The New York Times. January 23, 1915. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Tourney Goes to New York". Boston Evening Transcript. February 6, 1915. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  9. ↑ "'All-Comers' Tourney to be Restricted" (PDF). The New York Times. February 7, 1915. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Newport Loses Tennis Tourney" (PDF). The New York Times. February 6, 1915. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Shannon, Bill (1981). United States Tennis Association Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (Centennial edition). NY: Harper & Row. pp. 237–249. ISBN 0-06-014896-9.
  12. ↑ "Grand Slams – US Open". ITF. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  13. ↑ US Open schedules Monday finish | Tennis News | ESPN.co.uk
  14. ↑ ATP blasts US Open over plans to schedule the 2013 men's final on a Monday | Sports News | ESPN.co.uk
  15. ↑ BBC Sport - US Open men's final will make return to Sunday from 2015
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ "Player Challenges". US Open official website.
  18. ↑ Kaplan, Daniel. "Chase signs mega renewal with Open." Sports Business Journal, August 20, 2007; retrieved November 27, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Ashe & Armstrong Stadiums". USTA. May 25, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  20. ↑ Robson, Douglas. "New show court draws a crowd, quietly" USA Today (August 29, 2011)
  21. ↑ "Courting Victory on Any Surface". USTA. Retrieved July 16, 2012.
  22. ↑ "US Open History – Year-by-Year". United States Tennis Association (USTA).
  23. ↑ "U.S. Open Tennis - Total Attendance (By Year)". www.baruch.cuny.edu. City University of New York.
  24. ↑ "US Open Prize Money Increases Announced". ATP Tour. July 12, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "US Open Prize Money". USTA. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  26. ↑ "US Open makes long-term commitment to the game". US open. Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  27. ↑ http://www.wtatennis.com/all-about-rankings
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 "Youngest and oldest champions". US Open Org. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  29. ↑ "ESPN to Gain Full Rights to U.S. Open in 2015". NY Times. Retrieved May 17, 2013.

External links

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Wimbledon		 Grand Slam Tournament
August–September 		Succeeded by
Australian Open
Preceded by
New Haven		 US Open Series
July–September 		Succeeded by
None