US Open - Grand Slam tennis event
The US Open is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments in tennis, played at Flushing Meadows. The other three major tennis tournaments are: Wimbledon, The French Open at Roland Garros and The Australian Open.
In August 1881, the first annual US National Singles Championship for men was organized at the Casino in Newport. Only members of the United States National Lawn Tennis Association could to enter. Men’s doubles was played together with the singles from 1881. From 1900, the US National Men’s Doubles Championship was split, with tournaments held in the East and West and each winners playing off to meet the defending champions in the challenge round.
In 1887, the first official US Women’s National Singles Championship was held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Two years later, women’s doubles were played on the Philadelphia grounds too. The US Mixed Doubles Championship officially took off in 1892.
The dawn of the Open Era in 1968 consolidated all five major US tennis championships into the US Open at West Side Tennis Club in Queens, New York. A total of 100,000 dollars was offered to the competing 96 men and 63 women that year. Today the US Open offers more than $14.5 million of prize money.
The US Open is the only Grand Slam to have been played on three different surfaces: grass from 1968-1974, clay from 1975-1977 and hard court from 1978 till present.
Open Era winners Men:
1968: Arthur Ashe USA (beat Tom Okker NED in the final)
1969: Rod Laver AUS (beat Tony Roche AUS)
1970: Ken Rosewall AUS (beat Tony Roche AUS)
1971: Stan Smith USA (beat Jan Kodes CZE)
1972: Ilie Nastase ROM (beat Arthur Ashe USA)
1973: John Newcombe AUS (beat Jan Kodes CZE)
1974: Jimmy Connors USA (beat Ken Rosewall AUS)
1975: Manuel Orantes ESP (beat Jimmy Connors USA)
1976: Jimmy Connors USA (beat Björn Borg SWE)
1977: Guillermo Vilas ARG (beat Jimmy Connors USA)
1978: Jimmy Connors USA (beat Björn Borg SWE)
1979: John McEnroe USA (beat Vitas Gerulaitis USA)
1980: John McEnroe USA (beat Björn Borg SWE)
1981: John McEnroe USA (beat Björn Borg SWE)
1981: Rod Laver AUS (beat Tony Roche AUS)
1982: Jimmy Connors USA (beat Ivan Lendl CZE)
1983: Jimmy Connors USA (beat Ivan Lendl CZE)
1984: John McEnroe USA (beat Ivan Lendl CZE)
1985: Ivan Lendl CZE (beat John McEnroe USA)
1986: Ivan Lendl CZE (beat Miloslav Mecir CZE)
1987: Ivan Lendl CZE (beat Mats Wilander SWE)
1988: Mats Wilander SWE (beat Ivan Lendl CZE)
1989: Boris Becker BRD (beat Ivan Lendl CZE)
1990: Pete Sampras USA (beat Andre Agassi USA)
1991: Stefan Edberg SWE (beat Jim Courier USA)
1992: Stefan Edberg SWE (beat Pete Sampras USA)
1993: Pete Sampras USA (beat Cedric Pioline FRA)
1994: Andre Agassi USA (beat Michael Stich GER)
1995: Pete Sampras USA (beat Andre Agassi USA)
1996: Pete Sampras USA (beat Michael Chang USA)
1997: Patrick Rafter AUS (beat Greg Rusedski GBR)
1998: Patrick Rafter AUS (beat Mark Philippoussis AUS)
1999: Andre Agassi USA (beat Todd Martin USA)
2000: Marat Safin RUS (beat Pete Sampras USA)
2001: Lleyton Hewitt AUS (beat Pete Sampras USA)
2002: Pete Sampras USA (beat Andre Agassi USA)
Open Era winners Women:
1968: Virginia Wade GBR (beat Billie Jean King USA)
1969: Margaret Smith Court AUS (beat Nancy Richey USA)
1970: Margaret Smith Court AUS (beat Rosie Casals USA)
1971: Billie Jean King USA (beat Rosie Casals USA)
1972: Billie Jean King USA (beat Kerry Melville AUS)
1973: Margaret Smith Court AUS (beat Evonne Goolagong AUS)
1974: Billie Jean King USA (beat Evonne Goolagong AUS)
1975: Chris Evert USA (beat Evonne Goolagong AUS)
1976: Chris Evert USA (beat Evonne Goolagong AUS)
1977: Chris Evert USA (beat Wendy Turnbull AUS)
1978: Chris Evert USA (beat Pam Shriver USA)
1979: Tracey Austin USA (beat Chris Evert Lloyd USA)
1980: Chris Evert Lloyd USA (beat Hana Mandlikova CZE)
1981: Tracey Austin USA (beat Martina Navratilova USA)
1982: Chris Evert Lloyd USA (beat Hana Mandlikova CZE)
1983: Martina Navratilova USA (beat Chris Evert Lloyd USA)
1984: Martina Navratilova USA (beat Chris Evert Lloyd USA)
1985: Hana Mandlikova CZE (beat Martina Navratilova USA)
1986: Martina Navratilova USA (beat Helena Sukova CZE)
1987: Martina Navratilova USA (beat Steffi Graf BRD)
1988: Steffi Graf BRD (beat Gabriela Sabatini ARG)
1989: Steffi Graf BRD (beat Martina Navratilova USA)
1990: Gabriela Sabatini ARG (beat Steffi Graf BRD)
1991: Monica Seles YUG (beat Martina Navratilova USA)
1992: Monica Seles YUG (beat Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario SPA)
1993: Steffi Graf GER (beat Helena Sukova CZE)
1994: Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario SPA (beat Steffi Graf GER)
1995: Steffi Graf GER (beat Monica Seles USA)
1996: Steffi Graf GER (beat Monica Seles USA)
1997: Martina Hingis SWI (beat Monica Seles USA)
1998: Lindsay Davenport USA (beat Martina Hingis SWI)
1999: Serena Williams USA (beat Martina Hingis SWI)
2000: Venus Williams USA (beat Lindsay Davenport USA)
2001: Venus Williams USA (beat Serena Williams USA)
2001: Serena Williams USA (beat Venus Williams USA)