From the middle of the 1920s until late in the 1970s, through more than five decades, across the amateur years and on into the Open era, the US Open was held continuously at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y. In that elegant setting at a storied private club, the tournament thrived in many ways and established a sharp identity as the face of American tennis and a place where every emerging great player wanted to perform. Forest Hills was a scintillating showcase for champions to flaunt their talent and for the public to assemble in a late summer celebration of an outstanding sporting event.
But with the passage of time, Forest Hills could no longer accommodate so many fans. The growing popularity of the tournament made moving across the borough of Queens not simply a consideration but a necessity. And so the US Open moved on to Flushing Meadows, and from the inaugural year of 1978, for 19 years, Louis Armstrong Stadium was the showcase court, and the fans grew accustomed to the new arena housing about 18,000 spectators.
To some, the larger size was a difficult adjustment, but for many it became a symbol of the modern tennis era and a place where blue collar people could feel comfortable. And yet, in 1996, Armstrong as the main area for the Open bid farewell to the fans. The new Arthur Ashe Stadium would be unveiled in 1997, and that soaring structure seated 23,000.
1996 was the end of an era for the Open, and fittingly it all came down at the end to a battle between Steffi Graf and Monica Seles for the women's singles crown, followed by the all-American duel featuring Pete Sampras and Michael Chang.
The two finals were both scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and the lineup could hardly have been better. Graf and Seles had collided the year before in an absorbing three-set women's final-round clash, and the German had secured an emotional victory over her old rival on a riveting "Super Saturday." Seles had been gone from the game for nearly 28 months after being stabbed in the back at a changeover in Hamburg, Germany, in the spring of 1993, and she was competing in only her second tournament since that long and arduous layoff.
Now, a year later, these two superstars met again, but this time there was never much doubt about the outcome. Sadly, Seles, despite capturing her ninth and last major at the Australian Open earlier in that season, was no longer the same ferocious player she had once been. Her level had receded only slightly, but in the upper levels of the game that small decline made a substantial difference. Graf accounted for Seles, 7-5, 6-4. The German served with a set point at 5-4. Seles stepped up right then and there with some of her boldest play from the baseline and soon she drew level at 5-5. But a resolute and unrelenting Graf collected two games in a row to seal the set.
Graf remained highly charged in the second set, serving for the match at 5-4. As she sought to close out the account at that juncture, the sky above was darkening. Rain seemed imminent. Graf sustained her concentration, putting the finishing touches on a well-deserved victory. For the third time in six major finals against Seles, Graf succeeded. And then, as if by design, only minutes later, a rainstorm fell over Armstrong, drenching the players and officials during the presentation ceremony.
That forced a delay of the eagerly anticipated Sampras-Chang encounter. Much was riding on the outcome of this final. With a win, Chang had the chance to move to No. 1 in the world for the first time and collect a second major title seven years after claiming his first. Since winning the French Open in 1989, one of the game's greatest warriors had been back in two Grand Slam tournament finals, losing to Sergi Bruguera in 1994 at Roland Garros and to Boris Becker at the 1996 Australian Open.
As for Sampras, he had become the youngest ever men's champion, at 19 in 1990 at the Open, but had then endured two years of growing pains. In 1991-92, he did not collect another major, but then he started dominating the sport from 1993-95, sweeping six of the 12 majors in that span. But now, in 1996, while still the best player in the world, he had struggled emotionally. His coach and close friend Tim Gullikson had passed away in May. Sampras came to New York knowing this would be his last chance to rule at a major in 1996.
The top seed saved a match point in a gut-wrenching quarterfinal against Alex Corretja. After two days off and now revitalized, he ousted Goran Ivanisevic in a four-set semifinal. In the final, Sampras came out of the blocks in style, blitzing Chang with a barrage of crackling forehands, magnificent serving and total command at the net. Sampras surged to 5-0 and won the first set 6-1. He kept accelerating to 3-1 in the second set before Chang answered with a streak of three games in a row. But Sampras replicated that feat to win the second set, 6-4.
Chang served remarkably in the third set, conceding only five points in six games on his delivery. Sampras was unswayed, closing out his fourth US Open victory in seven years with a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 triumph. It was arguably the most consistent display he ever gave in a US Open.
The curtain thus closed on a stirring era in Louis Armstrong Stadium as the main show court at the biggest sporting event in America. To have four players with the stature of Sampras, Chang, Graf and Seles out there for the last two finals on that court was just the way it should have been.
