The only major to have a completely unbroken history, the U.S Open remained fully active throughout both world wars and the recent global pandemic.
Before the sport’s governing bodies decided to permit professional players to compete against amateurs, North America’s second-oldest tennis tournament was referred to as the U.S National Championships, with its inaugural edition taking place way back in August 1881 (the Canadian Open was first held a month earlier).
For the first 33 years of its existence, the U.S National Championships were played at Newport Casino in Rhode Island. The competition’s Women’s Singles segment wasn’t introduced until 1887, and was staged in an entirely different location - almost 300 miles away at the Philadelphia Cricket Club - throughout this early period. After a group of players successfully lobbied for the competition to be moved to New York, considered to be the country’s cultural home of tennis. Consequently, Forest Hills’ West Side Tennis Club assumed hosting duties.
In 1978, the U.S Open relocated to the newly constructed National Tennis Center in New York’s Flushing Meadows Park, where it has remained ever since. Following the death of the legendary Billie Jean King, the venue was renamed in honour of the 39-time Grand Slam champion.
Millions of tennis enthusiasts continue to annually tune into broadcasting coverage of the U.S Open, while the competition’s innovative ‘Fan Week’ initiative has served to further boost its popularity in recent times. Participants are handsomely rewarded for their efforts, with $90 million of prize money set to be distributed at this season’s event – a far cry from the $100,000 kitty ringfenced in 1881.
Records – Men’s Singles
No player has won more U.S Open titles than either Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras, or Roger Federer, who have all prevailed at Flushing Meadows on five occasions (with the exception of Connors, who claimed two of his victories at West Side).
Connors dominated proceedings for the best part of a decade, starting out with a series of dazzling displays to secure his first U.S Open crown in 1974. The tenacious American would then dispatch familiar foe Björn Borg in the 1976 and 1978 finals, before clinching his last two titles by beating Ivan Lendl in successive showpieces. Remarkably, the Czech hero would feature in each of the next six finals, chalking up three triumphs of his own in the process.
At his scintillating best throughout the 1990s, Pete Sampras scooped four of his five U.S Open titles just before the turn of the century. After edging past Andre Agassi in the 1990 and 1995 finals, Sampras once again defeated his American compatriot to land his final piece of Grand Slam silverware on his farewell appearance at Flushing Meadows. Roger Federer won every edition of the U.S Open between 2004 and 2008, making him the only player in the tournament’s history to deliver five consecutive titles. The Swiss supremo faced a different finalist on each occasion.
The golden era of U.S men’s tennis saw the likes of the aforementioned Connors, Sampras, and Agassi join John McEnroe in ruling the roost, but it’s been a while since the States have produced one of the game’s greats. Nebraskan big-hitter Andy Roddick was the closest to emulating the exploits of this esteemed group of players, and was incidentally the last American to lift the coveted U.S Open trophy following his straight sets win over Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 final. Taylor Fritz almost gave New Yorkers something to celebrate last summer, but the San Diego-born star ultimately had to settle for second place after being on the receiving end of a Jannik Sinner masterclass.
List of past winners – Men’s Singles
2024: Jannik Sinner (Italy)
2023: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2022: Carlos Alcaraz (Spain)
2021: Daniil Medvedev (Russia)
2020: Dominic Thiem (Austria)
2019: Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2018: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2017: Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2016: Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland)
2015: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2014: Marin Čilić (Croatia)
2013: Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2012: Andy Murray (Great Britain)
2011: Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
2010: Rafael Nadal (Spain)
2009: Juan Martín del Potro (Argentina)
2008: Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2007: Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2006: Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2005: Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2004: Roger Federer (Switzerland)
2003: Andy Roddick (USA)
2002: Pete Sampras (USA)
2001: Lleyton Hewitt (Australia)
2000: Marat Safin (Russia)
1999: Andre Agassi (USA)
1998: Pat Rafter (Australia)
1997: Pat Rafter (Australia)
1996: Pete Sampras (USA)
1995: Pete Sampras (USA)
1994: Andre Agassi (USA)
1993: Pete Sampras (USA)
1992: Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1991: Stefan Edberg (Sweden)
1990: Pete Sampras (USA)
1989: Boris Becker (West Germany)
1988: Mats Wilander (Sweden)
1987: Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia)
1986: Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia)
1985: Ivan Lendl (Czechoslovakia)
1984: John McEnroe (USA)
1983: Jimmy Connors (USA)
1982: Jimmy Connors (USA)
1981: John McEnroe (USA)
1980: John McEnroe (USA)
1979: John McEnroe (USA)
1978: Jimmy Connors (USA)
1977: Guillermo Vilas (Argentina)
1976: Jimmy Connors (USA)
1975: Manuel Orantes (Spain)
1974: Jimmy Connors (USA)
1973: John Newcombe (Australia)
1972: Ilie Năstase (Romania)
1971: Stan Smith (USA)
1970: Ken Rosewall (Australia)
1969: Rod Laver (Australia)
1968: Arthur Ashe (USA)
Records – Women’s Singles
Chris Evert and Serena Williams jointly hold the record for the most U.S Open Women’s Singles titles, having both won the competition on six separate occasions.
Evert overcame Australian opposition in each of her first three U.S Open final appearances, twice beating Evonne Goolagong Cawley before cruising past Wendy Turnbull in 1978. Yet another Flushing Meadows triumph was to follow a year later thanks to a straight sets victory over fellow American Pam Shriver, resulting in her clinching four consecutive U.S Open crowns – a milestone yet to be surpassed. The Floridian ace signed off with two further titles in the early 1980s, in turn preventing Hana Mandlíková from adding further silverware to her personal trophy cabinet.
The 1999 U.S Open final pitted two supremely talented teenagers against one another, helping to signpost the start of an exciting new chapter in the women’s game. Serena Williams would steal the show, dispatching Swiss youngster Martina Hingis via a nerve-shredding second-set tiebreaker. After losing to her sister Venus in the 2001 showpiece, Serena would gain her revenge the following year to secure her third Grand Slam of the season.
The powerful American would then lift her third U.S Open title in 2008, before three further triumphs came in consecutive years. Having been beaten by former world number four Samantha Stosur in the 2011 final before these trio of successes, Serena finished as runners-up on two more occasions before finally hanging up her racket following her third-round elimination in the 2022 U.S Open.
List of past winners – Women’s Singles
2024: Aryna Sabalenka (Belarus)
2023: Coco Gauff (USA)
2022: Iga Świątek (Poland)
2021: Emma Raducanu (Great Britain)
2020: Naomi Osaka (Japan)
2019: Bianca Andreescu (Canada)
2018: Naomi Osaka (Japan)
2017: Sloane Stephens (USA)
2016: Angelique Kerber (Germany)
2015: Flavia Pennetta (Italy)
2014: Serena Williams (USA)
2013: Serena Williams (USA)
2012: Serena Williams (USA)
2011: Samantha Stosur (Australia)
2010: Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
2009: Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
2008: Serena Williams (USA)
2007: Justine Henin (Belgium)
2006: Maria Sharapova (Russia)
2005: Kim Clijsters (Belgium)
2004: Svetlana Kuznetsova (Russia)
2003: Justine Henin (Belgium)
2002: Serena Williams (USA)
2001: Venus Williams (USA)
2000: Venus Williams (USA)
1999: Serena Williams (USA)
1998: Lindsay Davenport (USA)
1997: Martina Hingis (Switzerland)
1996: Steffi Graf (Germany)
1995: Steffi Graf (Germany)
1994: Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (Spain)
1993: Steffi Graf (Germany)
1992: Monica Seles (Yugoslavia)
1991: Monica Seles (Yugoslavia)
1990: Gabriela Sabatini (Argentina)
1989: Steffi Graf (West Germany)
1988: Steffi Graf (West Germany)
1987: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1986: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1985: Hana Mandlíková (Czechoslovakia)
1984: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1983: Martina Navratilova (USA)
1982: Chris Evert (USA)
1981: Tracey Austin (USA)
1980: Chris Evert (USA)
1979: Tracey Austin (USA)
1978: Chris Evert (USA)
1977: Chris Evert (USA)
1976: Chris Evert (USA)
1975: Chris Evert (USA)
1974: Billie Jean King (USA)
1973: Margaret Court (Australia)
1972: Billie Jean King (USA)
1971: Billie Jean King (USA)
1970: Margaret Court (Australia)
1969: Margaret Court (Australia)
1968: Virginia Wade (Great Britain)
Honourable Mentions
Throughout its proud 144-year history, the U.S Open has only witnessed four unseeded champions. Andre Agassi was the first to achieve this feat, before Kim Clijsters (2009), Sloane Stephens (2017), and Emma Raducanu (2021) followed suit. American ace Sloane is the only player to have won the competition under the proviso of a protected ranking, whilst Raducanu – on her way to becoming the first British woman to land a Grand Slam since Virginia Wade’s 1977 Wimbledon triumph – broke new ground by clinching the U.S Open title after starting out in the qualifying rounds.
Martina Navratilova is the competition’s most successful player overall, having won four singles, nine doubles, and three mixed doubles crowns over the course of a glittering three-decade period.