The United States Tennis Association arranges the final grand slam event of the season for professional tennis players, the U.S. Open. The tournament takes place at the end of summer in Flushing Meadows, New York. Men, women and doubles teams compete at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
History
The U.S. Open began in 1881 as the U.S. Championships, a men's-only tournament for singles and doubles tennis competition. Only clubs that belonged to the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association were allowed to compete in the event, which took place at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. The U.S. Women's National Singles Championship and U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship tournaments combined with the U.S. Championships in 1921. The U.S. Open took place in more than nine locations from Rhode Island to Pennsylvania before moving to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 1978.
Format
Each year, 128 men, 128 women and 64 doubles teams compete for five major championship prizes: men's singles, women's singles, mixed doubles, men's doubles and women's doubles. Players compete for two weeks for rankings points, money and a trophy. As of 2011, winners gain 2,000 rankings points and runners-up gain 1,200. The prize amount varies, but in 2010 it topped out at $1.7 million for the singles champions. Unlike other grand slams, the U.S. Open uses a tiebreak in the fifth set.
Surface
Since moving to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 1978, play has taken place on DecoTurf II hard courts. DecoTurf uses six layers of acrylic, rubber and silica to create a fast playing surface. In 2005, the USTA debuted blue hard courts with a green outer court.
The U.S. Open Series
The U.S. Open Series consists of 10 tournaments that take place over six weeks, culminating in the U.S. Open Grand Slam. These tournaments occur across North America over the summer. In 2010, the series included the Atlanta Tennis Championships, the Bank of the West Classic, the Farmers Classic, the Mercury Insurance Open, the Legg Mason Tennis Classic, the Western and Southern Open, the Rogers Master, the Rogers Cup, the New Haven Open and the Winston-Salem Open. Players compete in the series for separate bonus points. The players who finish in the top three compete for up to $1 million in bonus prize money, which the USTA awards based on how well the players do in the U.S. Open. Players earn more bonus money the farther they go in the tournament.
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