ON THIS DAY IN US OPEN HISTORY
1975 – Bjorn Borg ends the Rod Laver era at the US Open, defeating “The Rocket,” 6-1, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 in the round of 16 in Laver’s final US Open match.
1977 – Tracy Austin, at the age of 14 years, eight months, 30 days, becomes the youngest player to play in the US Open, defeating Heidi Eisterlehner of West Germany, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 in the first round.
1987 – Fifteen-year-old Michael Chang defeats Paul McNamee, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 to become the youngest man to win a match at the US Open.
1997 – Two-time defending US Open champion Pete Sampras has his 17-match winning streak, the fourth-longest of the Open Era in men’s singles, snapped with a 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6 loss to Petr Korda of the Czech Republic.
2010 – American qualifier Ryan Harrison, 18, notches the first major upset of the 2010 US Open, knocking off No. 15 seed Ivan Ljubicic, 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-4 to post his first-ever Grand Slam tournament victory.
2012 – The US Open stretches deep into the night for the first time at the 2012 US Open. In the opening night match in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ana Ivanovic holds off up-and-coming American teenager Sloane Stephens in a three-setter that runs nearly two-and-a-half hours, and Mardy Fish follows with a three-hour, four-set victory over Giles Simon that comes to a close at 1:10am.
2014 – In a match that starts on Monday, September 1, and ends on Tuesday, September 2, Kei Nishikori outlasts Milos Raonic, 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-7(6), 7-5, 6-4. The encounter wraps up at 2:26am, tying it for the latest finish in tournament history, and requires 4 hours, 19 minutes, making it the longest match of the 2014 US Open.
THEY SAID IT!!!
“I'm looking for, I think, what most of the players are looking for here, and that's the trophy. I'm going to do everything in my power to get an opportunity to fight for a trophy. That's all I'm looking for.”
Novak Djokovic on what he’s looking for the most at the US Open
“It has taught me that the journey towards success is not always easy or upwards, like it was for me last year. It happened for me last year and that was great, but I still have to go through the grind like every single player does.”
Genie Bouchard on what she’s learned over the last few months
“It was incredible. More than like 30,000, 40,000 people were there. It was amazing experience. I won't forget that for all my life, that's for sure. And I would like to repeat that.”
Marin Cilic on how Croatia reacted to his 2014 US Open championship when he went back home
“I don't think that's a worry, because my practices are really intense and I really fight really hard in my practices. I know that every match is a challenge. I have to be ready for everything.”
Serena Williams on the concern that her first round matchup may not have been a test
A Look Back at Past Decades: The '70s
1970 – The tie-break makes its Grand Slam debut and Margaret Court defeats Rosie Casals, 6-2, 2-6, 6-1, in the women’s final to become only the second woman to win the Grand Slam. Court does not stop with her singles triumph, winning the first US Open triple crown by claiming the women’s doubles title with Judy Dalton and the mixed doubles title with Marty Riessen.
1971 – Billie Jean King becomes the first woman ever to exceed $100,000 in prize money for a year.
1972 – In a dramatic comeback, Ilie Nastase thwarts Arthur Ashe’s bid for a second US Open title, defeating the 1968 champion, 3-6, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4, 6-3, in a final viewed by a then-record crowd of 14,696.
1973 – Another hallmark achievement in tennis history is recorded at the US Open, as men and women players receive equal prize money at the US Open.
1974 – In the final U.S. Championships/US Open played on grass, 22-year-old Jimmy Connors crushes 39-year-old Ken Rosewall in 78 minutes, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, in the most lopsided final in the history of the U.S. Championships/US Open. It marks the first of five US Open titles for Connors, who would again win in 1976, 1978, 1982 and 1983.
1975 – Night tennis makes its debut in Grand Slam play at the 1975 US Open—the first of three US Opens played on clay courts. Eighteen-year-old Martina Navratilova of Czechoslovakia makes world-wide headlines as she announces her defection to the United States.
1976 – In the 200th year of American independence, two Americans claim singles titles at the 1976 US Open—Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors. Evert wins her second straight US Open title by defeating Evonne Goolagong for the second consecutive year. Connors and Swede Bjorn Borg play a memorable final highlighted by the 70-minute third set that ends in a thrilling tie-break won by Connors, 11-9, after saving four set points.
1977 – In the last US Open played at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, US Open crowds get their first look at Tracy Austin and John McEnroe. Austin, the 14-year-old tennis sensation, upsets No. 4 seed Sue Barker and reaches the quarterfinals. McEnroe, from nearby Douglaston, N.Y., earns three victories before bowing to 1975 US Open champion Manuel Orantes.
1978 – Spearheaded by United States Tennis Association President W.E. “Slew” Hester, the US Open moves to the hard courts of the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Bjorn Borg and Bob Hewitt play the first match ever on the Stadium Court on Tuesday night, Aug. 29.
1979 – Tracy Austin becomes the youngest US Open champion at the age of 16 years, eight months, 28 days, defeating four-time defending champion Chris Evert Lloyd, 6-4, 6-3, in the final. Four American men reach the semifinals for the first time since 1950, and two New Yorkers, John McEnroe and Vitas Gerulaitis, reach the men’s singles final, with McEnroe claiming his first Grand Slam singles title with a 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 victory.
Fun Fact: Seating Capacity
Stadium: Capacity
Arthur Ashe Stadium: 23,771
Louis Armstrong Stadium: 10,103
Grandstand: 6,106
Court 17: 2,800
Court No. 4: 1,066
Court No. 5: 1,032
Court No. 6: 1,148
Court No. 7: 1,463
