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US Open (tennis)

Adapted from Wikipedia · Adventurer experience

Tennis match at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open with the roof closed.

The US Open Tennis Championships, commonly called the US Open, is a big tennis event held every year in Queens, New York City. It is organized by the United States Tennis Association and is the last of the four big Grand Slam tennis events. The others are the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon. The US Open starts in late August and lasts for two weeks, ending after the Labor Day holiday in the United States.

All players must be at least fourteen years old to join. Since 1968, both amateur and professional players can compete. The US Open is one of the oldest tennis events in the world, first held in Newport, Rhode Island in 1881. It moved to its current location in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in 1978, where it is played on special hardcourt surfaces.

The tournament includes many different matches, such as men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. There are also events for older players, younger players, and wheelchair tennis. Money from tickets, sponsors, and TV deals helps support tennis programs across the United States.

History

1881–1914: Newport Casino

The US Open tennis tournament began in August 1881 at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island. Only clubs that were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association could enter. Richard Sears won the first men's singles title. From 1884 to 1911, the defending champion would automatically advance to the final each year.

Only men competed from 1881 to 1886, with both singles and doubles events. The first U.S. Women's National Singles Championship took place in 1887 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, won by 17-year-old Ellen Hansell. That same year, men's doubles were held at the Orange Lawn Tennis Club in South Orange, New Jersey.

The women's tournament used a similar challenge system from 1888 to 1918. Between 1890 and 1906, tournaments in the east and west of the country decided the top two doubles teams.

1915–1977: West Side Tennis Club

In 1915, the tournament moved to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City. The men's singles event was held there for the first time in August 1915, while women's singles stayed in Philadelphia until 1921.

From 1921 to 1923, men's singles were played at the Germantown Cricket Club in Philadelphia before returning to Forest Hills in 1924. The tournament became an official major in 1924. In 1968, the Open Era began when professional players were allowed to compete for the first time.

Open Era

The Open Era started in 1968 when professional players could compete in the Grand Slam tournament at the West Side Tennis Club. Before this, only amateur players could participate. In 1970, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to use a tiebreaker when a set reached 6–6. In 1973, it was the first Grand Slam to give equal prize money to men and women. In 1975, the tournament switched from grass to clay courts. Floodlights were added so matches could be played at night.

Since 1978: USTA National Tennis Center

In 1978, the tournament moved to the larger USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens. The surface changed from clay to hardcourt. Jimmy Connors is the only player to have won US Open singles titles on grass, clay, and hardcourt. Chris Evert is the only woman to have won on clay and hardcourt.

The US Open is the only Grand Slam tournament that has been held every year since it began.

In 2005, the US Open added wheelchair singles and doubles events, and in 2006, it added events for quad singles and doubles. In 2006, the complex was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

In 2018, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to use a shot clock to keep track of time between points. In 2019, Rafael Nadal won the men's singles title.

In 2020, the tournament was held without spectators because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to allow players to challenge certain calls using a video review system.

In January 2025, it was announced that the US Open would start on a Sunday.

Grounds

The US Open happens in a big area with many tennis courts. There are 22 outdoor courts and 12 practice courts. The biggest court is Arthur Ashe Stadium, which can hold over 23,000 people. It opened in 1997 and got a special roof in 2016. The second biggest is Louis Armstrong Stadium, which opened in 2018 and can hold nearly 14,000 people. There are also smaller courts like the Grandstand and Court 17, known as “The Pit” because it’s lower than the ground around it.

All the courts have lights so matches can continue into the evening. The courts used to have blue paint inside the lines to help everyone see the ball better. The area outside the lines stays green. Players used to be able to ask for a review if they thought a call was wrong, but now the computer makes all the calls automatically.

Point and prize money distribution

The US Open gives out points and money to players based on how well they do. The amounts have changed over time.

Seniors

Prize money

The 2025 US Open will give out $90 million in prizes. This is the most money ever for a Grand Slam tournament. The money goes to all the players.

Most of the money goes to singles players, with smaller amounts for doubles teams and wheelchair competitors. The prize money has grown a lot over the years. In 2013, it was $33.6 million, and in 2023, it was $65 million. The tournament also helps with travel and hotel costs.

EventWFSFQFR4R3R2R1QQ3Q2Q1
Men's singles200013008004002001005010301680
Men's doubles0
Women's singles130078043024013070104030202
Women's doubles10
EventWFSFQFRound of 16Round of 32Round of 64Round of 128Q3Q2Q1
Singles$5,000,000$2,500,000$1,260,000$660,000$400,000$237,000$154,000$110,000$57,200$41,800$27,500
Doubles$1,000,000$500,000$250,000$125,000$75,000$45,000$30,000N/AN/AN/AN/A
Mixed doubles$1,000,000$400,000$200,000$100,000$20,000N/AN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

Champions

The US Open has champions in several categories, like men's singles, women's singles, men's doubles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. You can find lists of all the champions and the latest finals results.

Former champions

Current champions

Most recent finals

2025 US Open Championships
Carlos Alcaraz, 2025 men's singles champion.
Aryna Sabalenka, 2025 women's singles champion.
Marcel Granollers was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team.
Horacio Zeballos was part of the 2025 winning men's doubles team.
Gabriela Dabrowski was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team.
Erin Routliffe was part of the 2025 winning women's doubles team.
Sara Errani was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team.
Andrea Vavassori was part of the 2025 winning mixed doubles team.

Records

RecordEraPlayer(s)CountYears
Men since 1881
Most singles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Richard Sears71881–87
United States William Larned1901–02, 1907–11
United States Bill Tilden1920–25, 1929
Open EraUnited States Jimmy Connors51974, 1976, 1978, 1982–83
United States Pete Sampras1990, 1993, 1995–96, 2002
Switzerland Roger Federer2004–08
Most consecutive singles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Richard Sears71881–87
Open EraSwitzerland Roger Federer52004–08
Most doubles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Richard Sears61882–84, 1886–87 with James Dwight
1885 with Joseph Clark
United States Holcombe Ward1899–1901 with Dwight F. Davis
1904–06 with Beals Wright
Open EraUnited States Mike Bryan62005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014 with Bob Bryan
2018 with Jack Sock
Most consecutive doubles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Richard Sears71881–87
Open EraUnited States Rajeev Ram32021–23
United Kingdom Joe Salisbury2021–23
Most mixed doubles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Edwin P. Fischer41894–96 with Juliette Atkinson
1898 with Carrie Neely
United States Wallace F. Johnson1907 with May Sayers
1909, 1911, 1915 with Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
United States Bill Tilden1913–14 with Mary Browne
1922–23 with Molla Mallory
United States Bill Talbert1943–46 with Margaret Osborne duPont
Open EraAustralia Owen Davidson1966 with Donna Floyd
1967, 1971, 1973 with Billie Jean King
United States Marty Riessen1969–70, 1972 with Margaret Court
1980 with Wendy Turnbull
United States Bob Bryan2003 with Katarina Srebotnik
2004 with Vera Zvonareva
2006 with Martina Navratilova
2010 with Liezel Huber
Most Championships
(singles, doubles & mixed doubles)
Amateur EraUnited States Bill Tilden161913–29 (7 singles, 5 doubles, 4 mixed doubles)
Open EraUnited States Bob Bryan92003–14 (5 doubles, 4 mixed doubles)
Women since 1887
Most singles titlesAmateur EraNorway/United States Molla Mallory81915–18, 1920–22, 1926
Open EraUnited States Chris Evert61975–78, 1980, 1982
United States Serena Williams1999, 2002, 2008, 2012–14
Most consecutive singles titlesAmateur EraNorway/United States Molla Mallory41915–18
United States Helen Jacobs1932–35
Open EraUnited States Chris Evert41975–78
Most doubles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Margaret Osborne duPont131941 with Sarah Palfrey Cooke
1942–50, 1955–57 with Louise Brough
Open EraUnited States Martina Navratilova91977 with Betty Stöve
1978, 1980 with Billie Jean King
1983–84, 1986–87 with Pam Shriver
1989 with Hana Mandlíková
1990 with Gigi Fernández
Most consecutive doubles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Margaret Osborne duPont101941 with Sarah Palfrey Cooke
1942–50 with Louise Brough
Open EraSpain Virginia Ruano Pascual32002–04
Argentina Paola Suárez2002–04
Most mixed doubles titlesAmateur EraUnited States Margaret Osborne duPont91943–46 with Bill Talbert
1950 with Ken McGregor
1956 with Ken Rosewall
1958–60 with Neale Fraser
Open EraAustralia Margaret Court31969–70, 1972 with Marty Riessen
United States Billie Jean King1971, 1973 with Owen Davidson
1976 with Phil Dent
United States Martina Navratilova1985 with Heinz Günthardt
1987 with Emilio Sánchez
2006 with Bob Bryan
Most Championships
(singles, doubles & mixed doubles)
Amateur EraUnited States Margaret Osborne duPont251941–60 (3 singles, 13 doubles, 9 mixed doubles)
Open EraUnited States Martina Navratilova161977–2006 (4 singles, 9 doubles, 3 mixed doubles)
Miscellaneous
Unseeded championsMenUnited States Andre Agassi1994
WomenBelgium Kim Clijsters
United States Sloane Stephens
United Kingdom Emma Raducanu
2009
2017 (the only Protected ranking to win a major title)
2021 (the only qualifier to win a major title)
Youngest singles championMenUnited States Pete Sampras19 years and 1 month (1990)
WomenUnited States Tracy Austin16 years and 8 months (1979)
Oldest singles championMenUnited States William Larned38 years and 8 months (1911)
WomenNorway/United States Molla Mallory42 years and 5 months (1926)

Media and attendance

Media coverage

Main article: List of US Open (tennis) broadcasters

The US Open Tennis Championships has a website where you can watch live video, but you cannot watch videos on demand. The website also offers live radio coverage.

In the United States, ESPN has been the only channel showing the US Open since 2015. Before that, CBS showed the matches for many years. ESPN uses ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC for the main matches, with other matches shown on ESPN+.

Different parts of the world have different channels showing the US Open:

Some places have special channels:

Recent attendance

Sources: US Open, City University of New York (CUNY)

SeasonTotal
2005659,538
2006640,000
2007715,587
2008720,227
2009721,059
2010712,976
2011658,664
2012710,803
2013713,026
2014713,642
2015691,280
2016688,542
2017691,143
2018732,663
2019737,872
20200
2021631,134
2022776,120
2023957,387
20241,048,669
20251,144,562

Images

A historic black-and-white photo from the 1890 US Tennis Championships showing two tennis players, Oliver Campbell and Bob Huntington, during their semifinal match.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, a famous tennis arena, captured in 2010.
A close-up of the U.S. Open men's singles championship trophy at the tennis arena in New York.
Tennis player Carlos Alcaraz competing in the 2025 US Open final in New York City.
Aryna Sabalenka practicing her tennis strokes during the 2024 Washington Open.
Tennis player Marcel Granollers competing at the 2021 Roland Garros tournament.
A tennis player competing in a match during the 2015 Wimbledon Qualifying Tournament.
Gabriela Dabrowski playing tennis at the 2019 Roland Garros tournament.
Tennis player Erin Routliffe competing at the 2022 Roland Garros tournament.
Tennis player Sara Errani competing in the 2022 Wimbledon Qualifying Tournament.
Portrait of Richard Sears, winner of the first seven U.S. National Tennis Championships in the 1880s.
Portrait of Bill Tilden, a famous American tennis player from the early 20th century.
A historical photograph of American tennis player William 'Bill' Larned, taken around 1901.
The horizontal logo for the US Open tennis tournament

Related articles

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on US Open (tennis), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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