US Open

The first tennis tournament for men was held at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1881 and was known as U.S. National Championships. Only players from clubs who were members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association were permitted to enter. Richard SEARS became the first champion in men's singles. In 1887 the first official U.S. Women's National Singles Championship was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Men and women competed in different cities before 1968 when five major events - Men's and Women's Singles, Men's and Women's Doubles, and Mixed Doubles moved to the new location - West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills.

Since 1968, the Championship became known as the US Open. In 1978 tournament moved to its current location - USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows. Billie Jean KING is one of the greatest American players, former World No. 1. She won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles, and a record 20 Wimbledon titles: 6 in singles, 10 in women's doubles, and 4 in mixed doubles. Billie Jean King was also the founder of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in June 1973. She became its first president. In 1972, after winning the women's singles title at the US Open, King announced that she would boycott the tournament in 1973 unless tournament organizers equalized the prize money for men and women. The threat and pressure to be fair worked, and starting in 1973, the US Open became the first major to do so.

The Centre Court is located at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, named after a tennis player who won the men's final of the US Open in 1968. Arthur ASHE was the first African-American player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the only African-American man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon in 1975, the US Open in 1968, and the Australian Open in 1970. On February 6, 1993, Arthur Ashe died from AIDS-related pneumonia at New York Hospital at the age of 49.

The story of the rise of sisters Venus WILLIAMS and Serena WILLIAMS to world fame began in 1999, when the duo of 19-year-old Venus and 18-year-old Serena won the women's doubles at Roland Garros. And then began the era of the sisters' dominance in women's tennis. In 2001, they played their first singles final at the US Open, and Venus became the champion. In the future, many Grand Slam finals became an internal affair of the Williams family. The sisters played in nine decisive matches in women's singles at all four majors. Serena won seven victories, and Venus won two. The sisters' duo was one of the strongest in the history of the Open era. The Williams team won 14 doubles at Grand Slam tournaments and three gold medals at the Olympic Games.

US Open TROPHIES

In 1881, Richard SEARS became the first champion and received a medal for winning the men's singles title at the first U.S. National Championships because organizers had not had enough time to create a silver trophy.

In 1887, Ellen HANSELL was awarded the Wissahickon Inn Prize as the first winner of the U.S. National Championships in a single women's competition.

Since 1987, renowned Tiffany & Co. silversmiths have crafted the new US Open trophies for the United States Tennis Association, awarded to the Men’s and Women’s Singles champions at the tournament-ending ceremony. Ivan LENDL and Martina NAVRATILOVA became the first players to receive the new trophies. The women’s trophy was smaller than men's, and that difference in size between the U.S. Open trophies would endure until 2023. Currently, at approximately 18.5 inches (47 cm) tall and weighing about 10 pounds (4.5 kg), the cups are of equal stature and mass. Unlike the winners of the other majors, US Open champions receive a replica trophy with the exact dimensions as the original. The perpetual (or original) US Open trophies are housed at the Tennis Hall of Fame in Rhode Island and have an engraved list with the names of previous U.S. Open champions. The replica trophies are engraved with only the current year’s winners’ names.

All-time US Open Winners

Men's Singles