US Open (tennis)

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US Open
Official web
Location	New York City United States
Venue	USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Surface	Grass / Outdoors (1881–1974) Clay / Outdoors (1975–1977) DecoTurf / Outdoors (1978–present)
Men's draw	128S / 128Q / 64D
Women's draw	128S / 96Q / 64D
Prize money	US$ 19,600,000
Grand Slam
Australian Open French Open Wimbledon US Open

The US Open tennis tournament is the modern incarnation of one of the oldest tennis championships in the world, with the U.S. National Championship (for men's singles) first contested in 1881. Since 1987, the US Open has been chronologically the fourth and final Grand Slam tennis tournament each year. It is held annually in August and September over a two-week period (the weeks before and after Labor Day weekend). The main tournament consists of five different 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 at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, New York City.

The US Open differs from the other three Grand Slam tournaments in that there are final-set tiebreaks. In the other three tournaments, the fifth set for men and the third set for women continue until someone wins by two games.

Contents 1 History 2 Player challenges of line calls 3 Grounds 4 Prize Money 4.1 Singles (Men & Women - 128 Draws) 4.2 Doubles (Per Team, Men & Women - 64 Draws) 4.3 Mixed Doubles (Per Team - 32 Draws) 4.4 Men's and Women's Qualifying (128 Draws) 4.5 Totals 5 Champions 5.1 Past champions 5.2 Current champions 6 Records 6.1 All-non-US-citizen singles finals 6.1.1 Men's singles 6.1.2 Women's singles 7 Media coverage 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] History

The US Open has grown from an exclusive entertainment event for high society to a championship for more than 600 male and female professional players who, as of 2008, compete for total prize money of over US$19 million, with $1.5 million for each winner of the singles tournaments.

In the first few years of the United States National Championship, only men competed, and only in singles competition. The tournament was first held in August 1881 at the Newport Casino, Newport, Rhode Island. Only clubs that were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association were permitted to enter. From 1884 through 1911, the tournament used a challenge system whereby the defending champion automatically qualified for the next year's final. In 1915, the tournament moved to the West Side Tennis Club at Forest Hills, New York. From 1921 through 1923, it was played at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia and returned to Forest Hills in 1924.

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, followed by the U.S. Women's National Doubles Championship in 1889. The first U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship was held alongside the women's singles and doubles. The first U.S. National Men's Doubles Championship was held in 1900. Tournaments were held in the east and the west of the country to determine the best two teams, which competed in a play-off to see who would play the defending champions in the challenge round.

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, New York. 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 of the Grand Slam tournaments to use a tiebreak at the end of a set.

The US Open was originally played on grass until Forest Hills switched to Har-Tru clay courts in 1975. In 1978, the event moved from Forest Hills to its current home at Flushing Meadows, and the surface changed again, to the current DecoTurf. (Jimmy Connors is the only man to have won the US Open on more than one surface. He won it on all three surfaces. Female player Chris Evert won it on two surfaces.)

[edit] Player challenges of line calls

In 2006, the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to implement instant replay reviews of calls, using the Hawk-Eye computer system. Available only on the stadium courts (Ashe and Armstrong), each player was allowed two challenges per set plus one additional challenge during a tiebreak but was not penalized with the loss of a challenge if it was upheld. The USTA announced that starting in 2008, each player will be given three challenges per set with an extra challenge if the set goes to a tiebreak.

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. The system is said to be accurate to within five millimeters.

During the 2006 US Open, 30.5% of men's challenges and 35.85% of women's challenges were overturned.^[1] During the 2007 US Open, 95 out of 320 challenges were overturned - or 30.6%.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Grounds

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 24,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after Arthur Ashe, the African American tennis player who won the men's final of the inaugural US Open in 1968. (In that same year, British player Virginia Wade won the first women's US Open final.) The next largest court is Louis Armstrong Stadium, which was the main stadium until the completion of Arthur Ashe stadium. The third largest court is the Grandstand Stadium, which is attached to the Louis Armstrong Stadium. Sidecourts 4, 7, and 11 each have a seating capacity of over 1,000.

All the courts used by the US Open are lit, 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 the USA Network 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.^{[citation needed]}

In 2005, all US Open and US Open Series tennis courts were given blue inner courts and green outer courts to make it easier to see the ball.

The USTA National Tennis Center was renamed in honor of four-time tournament champion and tennis pioneer Billie Jean King during the 2006 US Open.

[edit] Prize Money

The total prize money for the 2008 US Open (in US dollars) is divided as follows:

[edit] Singles (Men & Women - 128 Draws)

Winners	$1,500,000
Runners-Up	$750,000
Semifinalists	$320,000
Quarterfinalists	$160,000
Round of 16	$80,000
Third Round	$46,000
Second Round	$30,000
First Round	$18,500
Total	$7,050,000

[edit] Doubles (Per Team, Men & Women - 64 Draws)

Winners	$420,000
Runners-Up	$210,000
Semifinalists	$105,000
Quarterfinalists	$50,000
Round of 16	$25,000
Second Round	$15,000
First Round	$10,000
Total	$1,800,000 ($3,600,000)

[edit] Mixed Doubles (Per Team - 32 Draws)

Winners	$180,000
Runners-Up	$90,000
Semifinalists	$30,000
Quarterfinalists	$15,000
Second Round	$10,000
First Round	$5,000
Total	$500,000

[edit] Men's and Women's Qualifying (128 Draws)

Third Round Losers (16)	$8,000
Second Round Losers (32)	$5,625
First Round Losers (64)	$3,000
Total	$500,000 ($1,000,000)

[edit] Totals

Total Championship Events	$19,200,000
Total for Champions Invitational	$385,000
Player per diem	$1,072,000
Total Player Compensation	$20,657,000

[edit] Champions

[edit] Past champions

• Men's Singles
• Women's Singles
• Men's Doubles
• Women's Doubles
• Mixed Doubles
• Singles U.S. Open Final Appearances

[edit] Current champions

Roger Federer is the defending Gentleman's champion, after beating Andy Murray in 2008

Serena Williams is the defending Ladies' champion, after beating Jelena Jankovic in 2008

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
2008	Roger Federer	Andy Murray	6–2, 7–5, 6–2

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
2008	Serena Williams	Jelena Janković	6–4, 7–5

[edit] Records

Record	Era	Player(s)	Count	Winning Years
Men since 1881
Winner of most Men's Singles titles	Before 1968:	Richard Sears Bill Larned Bill Tilden	7	1881-87 1901-02, 1907-11 1920-25, 1929
	After 1967:	Jimmy Connors Pete Sampras Roger Federer	5	1974, 1976, 1978, 1982-83 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002 2004-08
Winner of most consecutive Men's Singles titles	Before 1968:	Richard Sears	7	1881-87
	After 1967:	Roger Federer	5	2004-08
Winner of most Men's Doubles titles	Before 1968:	Richard Sears James Dwight	6	1882-87 1882-87
	After 1967:	Bob Lutz Stan Smith John McEnroe	4	1968, 1974, 1978, 1980 1968, 1974, 1978, 1980 1979, 1981, 1983, 1989
Winner of most consecutive Men's Doubles titles	Before 1968:	Richard Sears James Dwight	6	1882-87 1882-87
	After 1967:	Todd Woodbridge Mark Woodforde	2	1995-96 1995-96
Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles - Men	Before 1968:	Bill Tilden Bill Talbert	4	1913-14, 1922-23 1943-46
	After 1967:	Todd Woodbridge Bob Bryan	3	1990, 1993, 2001 2003-04, 2006
Winner of most Championships (total: singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles) - Men	Before 1968:	Bill Tilden	16	1913–1929 (7 singles, 5 men's doubles, 4 mixed doubles)
	After 1967:	John McEnroe	8	1979–1989 (4 singles, 4 men's doubles)
Women since 1887
Winner of most Women's Singles titles	Before 1968:	/ Molla Bjurstedt Mallory	8	1915-18, 1920-22, 1926
	After 1967:	Chris Evert	6	1975-78, 1980, 1982
Winner of most consecutive Women's Singles titles	Before 1968:	/ Molla Bjurstedt Mallory Helen Jacobs	4	1915-18 1932-35
	After 1967:	Chris Evert	4	1975-78
Winner of most Women's Doubles titles	Before 1968:	Margaret Osborne duPont	13	1941-50, 1955-57
	After 1967:	/ Martina Navrátilová	9	1977-78, 1980, 1983-84, 1986-87, 1989-90
Winner of most consecutive Women's Doubles titles	Before 1968:	Margaret Osborne duPont	10	1941-50
	After 1967:	Virginia Ruano Pascual Paola Suárez	3	2002-04 2002-04
Winner of most Mixed Doubles titles - Women	All-time:	Margaret Osborne duPont Margaret Court	8	1943-46, 1950, 1958-60 1961-65, 1969-70, 1972
	Before 1968:	Margaret Osborne duPont	8	1943-46, 1950, 1958-60
	After 1967:	Margaret Court Billie Jean King / Martina Navrátilová	3	1969, 1970, 1972 1971, 1973, 1976 1985, 1987, 2006
Winner of most Championships (total: singles, women's doubles, mixed doubles) - women	All-time:	Margaret Osborne duPont Margaret Court	25 18	1941–1960 (3 singles, 13 women's doubles, 9 mixed doubles) 1961-1975 (5 singles, 5 women's doubles, 8 mixed doubles)
	Before 1968:	Margaret Osborne duPont	25	1941–1960 (3 singles, 13 women's doubles, 9 mixed doubles)
	After 1967:	/ Martina Navrátilová	16	1977–2006 (4 singles, 9 women's doubles, 3 mixed doubles)
Miscellaneous
Youngest winner(single)	Men:	Pete Sampras	19 years and 1 month
	Women:	Tracy Austin	16 years and 8 months

[edit] All-non-US-citizen singles finals

Since the U.S. Championships began in 1881, there have been only five years when an American reached neither the men's nor women's singles final: 1959, 1973, 1988, 2004, and 2007.

[edit] Men's singles

Year	Champion	Runner-up
1926	Rene Lacoste	Jean Borotra
1933	Fred Perry	Jack Crawford
1956	Ken Rosewall	Lew Hoad
1957	Mal Anderson	Ashley Cooper
1958	Ashley Cooper	Mal Anderson
1959	Neale Fraser	Alex Olmedo
1960	Neale Fraser	Rod Laver
1961	Roy Emerson	Rod Laver
1962	Rod Laver	Roy Emerson
1964	Roy Emerson	Fred Stolle
1965	Manuel Santana	Cliff Drysdale
1966	Fred Stolle	John Newcombe
1969	Rod Laver	Tony Roche
1970	Ken Rosewall	Tony Roche
1973	John Newcombe	Jan Kodes
1986	Ivan Lendl	Miloslav Mecir
1987	Ivan Lendl	Mats Wilander
1988	Mats Wilander	Ivan Lendl
1989	Boris Becker	Ivan Lendl
1997	Patrick Rafter	Greg Rusedski
1998	Patrick Rafter	Mark Philippoussis
2004	Roger Federer	Lleyton Hewitt
2007	Roger Federer	Novak Djokovic
2008	Roger Federer	Andy Murray

[edit] Women's singles

Year	Champion	Runner-up
1937	Anita Lizana	Jadwiga Jedrzejowska
1959	Maria Bueno	Christine Truman Janes
1963	Maria Bueno	Margaret Court
1973	Margaret Court	Evonne Goolagong Cawley
1988	Steffi Graf	Gabriela Sabatini
1990	Gabriela Sabatini	Steffi Graf
1992	Monica Seles	Arantxa Sanchez Vicario
1993	Steffi Graf	Helena Sukova
1994	Arantxa Sanchez Vicario	Steffi Graf
2003	Justine Henin	Kim Clijsters
2004	Svetlana Kuznetsova	Elena Dementieva
2005	Kim Clijsters	Mary Pierce
2006	Maria Sharapova	Justine Henin
2007	Justine Henin	Svetlana Kuznetsova

[edit] Media coverage

• The 2008 Open was broadcast in the United States on CBS Sports and the USA Network.
• Beginning in 2009, the tournament will be broadcast on CBS, ESPN2, and the Tennis Channel.
• The tournament is broadcast in Canada on TSN, TSN HD, and TSN2.
• The tournament is broadcast in the United Kingdom on Sky Sports 2, Sky Sports Xtra, and on Eurosport for the UK and Germany.
• In Spain, the tournament is broadcast on Digital plus and Antena 3.
• In India and Pakistan, the US Open is broadcast on the channel Ten Sports.
• In Japan, the tournament has been broadcast on WOWOW since 1992.

[edit] See also

• US Open Series
• List of tennis players

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• US Open Official Site
• US Open - All winners and runners-up. Reference book

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

v • d • e U.S. National Championships 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967

v • d • e US Open 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

v • d • e Tennis Grand Slams Australian Open · French Open · Wimbledon · US Open

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

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