Tennis Tournaments: US Open

New to following tennis betting?  If so, a good place to start is with the four annual events which are part of the Grand Slam tournament: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.  These are considered the largest and most prestigious tennis vents in the world. 

The origins of the US Open actually date clear back to 1881 when a men’s singles tournament started, known as the U.S. National Championship.  The United States Open Tennis Championships (US Open) is the modern version of the event, and has been played every year since 1978.  The tournament takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is located in Queens, New York City. 

The tournament launches each August on the last Monday of the month, and runs two weeks, ending in September.  There are five main events in all: men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.  As with the Wimbledon, there are also junior events.  The US Open features competitions for seniors and wheelchair-bound players as well. 

One major change in the US Open occurred in 2006.  That year there was a match between Serena Williams and Jennifer Capriati, and some questionable calls were made.  As a result, instant replays were introduced, and it is now up to players to challenge calls.  If a player does not challenge a call, there will be no replay and review. 

Another interesting fact about the US Open concerns equality in sports.  In 1973, the US Open became the first of the four Grand Slam tournaments to award equal amounts of prize money to both men and women in the singles matches. 

You can watch live coverage of the US Open on the Tennis Channel and ESPN, but you also can watch it streaming live on the official website for the US Open.  Some UK betting websites also stream the US Open. 

Now that you are familiar with the US Open, this is a great time to read about the other tournaments which are part of the Grand Slam.  Read about the:

• Australian Open 
• Wimbledon  and
• the French Open.