The US Open is one of tennis’s four Grand Slam tournaments and the final major of the season. Its history stretches from a private grass-court competition in Rhode Island to a global sporting event staged under the lights in New York City.
Along the way, the tournament has changed its name, location, playing surface, rules, and eligibility requirements. It has also produced some of tennis’s most enduring records, from Molla Mallory’s eight singles titles to Jimmy Connors winning the event on three different surfaces.
For information about the venue, tournament format, courts, and fan experience, see US Open Tennis: The Complete Guide.
US Open History at a Glance
- 1881: The first U.S. National Men’s Singles Championship was held in Newport, Rhode Island.
- 1887: Women’s singles was added at the Philadelphia Cricket Club.
- 1915: The men’s tournament moved to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York.
- 1968: The tournament entered the Open Era and became known as the US Open.
- 1970: The US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to use a tiebreak.
- 1973: It became the first Grand Slam to award equal prize money to male and female champions.
- 1975: The tournament changed from grass to green clay and introduced night tennis.
- 1978: The US Open moved to Flushing Meadows and changed to hard courts.
- 1997: Arthur Ashe Stadium opened as the tournament’s main stadium.
- 2006: The venue was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
- 2016: A retractable roof was completed over Arthur Ashe Stadium.
- 2018: The new Louis Armstrong Stadium opened, and electronic line calling was used on every competition court.
- 2020: The tournament adopted Laykold as its hard-court surface.
The First U.S. National Championship
The tournament began in 1881 as the U.S. National Men’s Singles Championship. It was played on grass at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island and was originally limited to members of clubs affiliated with the United States National Lawn Tennis Association.
Richard Sears won the first championship and went on to capture the tournament’s first seven men’s singles titles. His dominance helped establish the event, although the format of the early competition was very different from the modern knockout draw.
Beginning in the 1880s, the defending champion could advance directly to a challenge round against the winner of the main tournament. This gave returning champions a much shorter path to the title, which is why early records should not be compared directly with achievements from the modern era.
The Introduction of Women’s Competition
Women’s singles was added in 1887, with the first championship held at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. Ellen Hansell defeated Laura Knight to become the inaugural women’s singles champion.
Women’s doubles followed in 1889, while mixed doubles was introduced in 1892. These additions gradually transformed the national championships from a men’s singles event into a broader tournament resembling the competition played today.
One of the defining figures of the early women’s event was Molla Bjurstedt Mallory. Born in Norway before representing the United States, Mallory won eight women’s singles championships between 1915 and 1926.
The Move to Forest Hills
For more than three decades, the men’s championship remained in Newport. However, growing crowds and increased interest in tennis eventually created pressure to move the event closer to a major population center.
In 1915, the tournament relocated to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York. The club became closely associated with American tennis and remained the main home of the championship until 1977.
Forest Hills provided the setting for many of the tournament’s most important developments. It hosted the beginning of the Open Era, the introduction of the tiebreak, the switch from grass to clay, and the first night matches in Grand Slam history.
The Beginning of the Open Era
Before 1968, many major tennis tournaments were restricted to amateur players. Professionals were excluded, even when they were among the best players in the world.
That distinction ended with the arrival of the Open Era in 1968. The American championship was renamed the US Open and allowed professionals and amateurs to compete in the same tournament.
Arthur Ashe won the first men’s singles championship of the US Open era, defeating Tom Okker in the final. Ashe was still registered as an amateur at the time and became the first Black man to win the American national singles championship.
Virginia Wade won the first women’s singles title of the Open Era. Her victory over Billie Jean King gave her the first of three Grand Slam singles championships.
The US Open’s Three Playing Surfaces
The US Open is the only Grand Slam tournament to have been played on grass, clay, and hard courts. Each change reflected an effort to modernize the tournament and create a more suitable competition for players and spectators.
The Grass-Court Era
The tournament was played on grass from its beginning in 1881 through 1974. Grass generally produced lower bounces and rewarded aggressive players who could serve well and move forward to the net.
Players such as Richard Sears, Bill Tilden, Don Budge, and Pancho Gonzales won during the grass-court period. The early years of the Open Era also featured grass-court champions including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, John Newcombe, and Jimmy Connors.
The Green-Clay Experiment
In 1975, the tournament switched from grass to green clay. The surface, commonly known as Har-Tru, was faster than the red clay used at the French Open but slower and higher-bouncing than grass.
The clay-court period lasted only three years, from 1975 through 1977. Chris Evert dominated the women’s event during this period, winning all three US Open women’s singles titles played on clay.
The Move to Hard Courts
When the tournament relocated to Flushing Meadows in 1978, it changed to hard courts. Hard courts offered a more predictable bounce and provided a middle ground between the speed of grass and the slower nature of clay.
The change created one of the most unusual achievements in Grand Slam history. Jimmy Connors won the US Open on grass in 1974, clay in 1976, and hard court in 1978, making him the only player to win US Open singles titles on all three surfaces.
For a closer look at court characteristics, see what surface is the US Open played on.
Tiebreak Innovation
The US Open has frequently been willing to experiment with rules and technology. One of its most influential changes came in 1970, when it became the first Grand Slam tournament to use a tiebreak.
The original version was a nine-point sudden-death tiebreak. The first player to reach five points won, although a score of 4-4 meant that the next point decided the set.
The format was eventually replaced by a version requiring a two-point winning margin. However, the introduction of the tiebreak helped shape the modern tennis scoring system and encouraged other major tournaments to adopt similar rules.
Equal Prize Money
In 1973, the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to award equal prize money to its male and female champions. Billie Jean King played a central role in pushing for the change after winning the women’s singles title the previous year.
The decision became one of the most important equality milestones in professional sport. The other three Grand Slam tournaments eventually introduced equal prize money, but the US Open led the movement decades earlier.
The tournament continues to recognize King’s influence. In 2006, its Flushing Meadows venue was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The Introduction of Night Tennis
Another major innovation arrived in 1975 when the US Open staged the first night matches in Grand Slam history. Floodlights allowed matches to continue after sunset and helped the tournament attract larger television audiences.
Night sessions eventually became one of the defining features of the US Open. The atmosphere inside Arthur Ashe Stadium, particularly during a long evening match, is now an important part of the tournament’s identity.
The Move to Flushing Meadows
By the 1970s, the West Side Tennis Club could no longer comfortably accommodate the tournament’s growing crowds and commercial demands. The US Open therefore moved to the newly constructed National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in 1978.
Louis Armstrong Stadium served as the main court when the venue opened. Arthur Ashe Stadium replaced it as the primary stadium in 1997 and was named after the pioneering American champion.
A retractable roof was completed over Arthur Ashe Stadium in 2016, allowing matches to continue during rain. A rebuilt Louis Armstrong Stadium opened in 2018 with its own retractable roof and improved facilities for spectators.
Technology at the US Open
The tournament has repeatedly adopted technology intended to improve officiating and reduce interruptions. Electronic review systems allowed players to challenge line calls before automated systems became more widely used.
In 2018, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to provide electronic line calling on every competition court. The expansion helped standardize officiating across the tournament instead of limiting the technology to major show courts.
The use of technology has continued to evolve, but the purpose remains the same: to make close calls more accurate while keeping matches moving.
Landmark US Open Singles Records
The US Open record book includes achievements from both the original national championships and the Open Era. The following milestones are based on completed historical accomplishments rather than figures such as annual prize money, attendance, or tournament schedules.
| Record category | Player or players | Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| Historic men’s singles title benchmark | Richard Sears, William Larned and Bill Tilden | Seven titles each |
| Historic women’s singles title benchmark | Molla Bjurstedt Mallory | Eight titles |
| Men’s Open Era five-title milestone | Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer | Five titles each |
| Women’s Open Era six-title milestone | Chris Evert and Serena Williams | Six titles each |
| Consecutive men’s titles | Richard Sears | Seven titles from 1881 through 1887 |
| Consecutive men’s titles in the Open Era | Roger Federer | Five titles from 2004 through 2008 |
| Consecutive women’s titles | Molla Mallory, Helen Jacobs and Chris Evert | Four titles each |
| Youngest men’s singles champion | Pete Sampras | 19 years and 28 days |
| Youngest women’s singles champion | Tracy Austin | 16 years, 8 months and 28 days |
| Historic oldest singles champion | Molla Bjurstedt Mallory | 42 years old |
The official US Open championship archive provides the full list of title winners across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
Richard Sears and the First Seven Championships
Richard Sears won every men’s singles championship from the inaugural tournament in 1881 through 1887. No one defeated him in US national championship singles competition during that run.
His seven consecutive titles remain one of the sport’s most remarkable early achievements. However, the challenge-round system meant that he did not always have to complete a full tournament draw, making direct comparisons with modern champions difficult.
Molla Mallory’s Eight Women’s Titles
Molla Mallory won eight women’s singles championships in 11 years. Her victories came in 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1926.
Her final victory was especially significant because she was 42 years old. That championship gave Mallory both an extraordinary title total and one of the most enduring age-related achievements in Grand Slam tennis.
Chris Evert’s Four Consecutive Titles on Two Surfaces
Chris Evert won four consecutive US Open singles championships from 1975 through 1978. The streak included the tournament’s three clay-court editions and its first year on hard courts.
That makes Evert’s run particularly distinctive. She adapted immediately when the tournament changed venues and surfaces, winning the final championship at Forest Hills and the first at Flushing Meadows.
Roger Federer’s Five Consecutive Open Era Titles
Roger Federer won five consecutive US Open championships from 2004 through 2008. His run included victories over Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray in the finals.
Winning five straight titles in the modern knockout format required Federer to complete seven matches each year. The streak remains one of the defining periods of dominance in US Open history.
The Youngest US Open Champions
Tracy Austin became the youngest US Open singles champion when she defeated Chris Evert in the 1979 women’s final. Austin was 16 years, 8 months, and 28 days old.
Pete Sampras became the youngest men’s singles champion in 1990. At 19 years and 28 days, he defeated Andre Agassi in the final to win the first of his 14 Grand Slam singles titles.
The official archive of youngest and oldest US Open champions illustrates just how wide the age range of successful players has been.
Emma Raducanu’s Qualifying Record
In 2021, Emma Raducanu became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title. She entered US Open qualifying without a place in the main draw and had to win three qualifying matches before beginning the seven-round main tournament.
Raducanu won all 10 matches without dropping a set. Because a qualifier must win more matches than a directly accepted player, the achievement created a unique chapter in the tournament’s history.
Althea Gibson Breaks the Color Barrier
Althea Gibson became the first Black player to compete in the U.S. National Championships in 1950. Her participation broke a major racial barrier in a sport that had long excluded Black players from its leading competitions.
Gibson returned to win the women’s singles championship in 1957 and successfully defended the title in 1958. Her victories helped open doors for later generations and remain among the most important milestones in American tennis history.
Arthur Ashe’s Historic 1968 Victory
Arthur Ashe became the first Black man to win the American national singles championship when he captured the inaugural US Open in 1968. His victory came during the first year in which professionals and amateurs were permitted to compete together.
The tournament’s largest stadium now bears his name. Arthur Ashe Stadium serves as a permanent reminder of his achievements as a player, civil rights advocate, and humanitarian.
Why Pre-Open Era and Open Era Records Are Separated
Tennis record books commonly divide achievements into pre-Open Era and Open Era categories. The distinction is necessary because professionals were excluded from many major tournaments before 1968.
Competition formats were also different. Early champions sometimes benefited from challenge rounds, smaller draws, and fewer required matches, while modern champions must normally progress through a full knockout tournament.
Separating the eras does not diminish early champions. It provides the context needed to compare achievements produced under very different rules and competitive conditions.
Final Thoughts
The US Open’s history is defined by constant evolution. It began as a small grass-court championship, passed through a brief clay-court period, and developed into a hard-court Grand Slam known for night sessions, large stadiums, technological innovation, and dramatic matches.
Its records also tell a broader story about tennis. Richard Sears represents the tournament’s earliest years, Molla Mallory its first great women’s dynasty, Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe its progress toward inclusion, and champions such as Chris Evert, Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, and Emma Raducanu its continuing ability to produce historic performances.