US open tennis

Since 125 years ago it began with the name of the US National Championships as a part time event and has become this tournament the most profitable tennis tournament on the world.

This Competition expanded from a single men's tournament that entertained the upper class to a tournament that now includes women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles.

The first U.S. National Championships took place at the Newport Casino, Newport In August 1881. The tournament was only open to members of the US National Lawn Tennis Association. Newport would stay the country's tennis center for 34 years.

In 1887, the first official women's national singles championship took place at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, followed by the women's doubles two years later.

Officially the U.S. Mixed Doubles Championship started in 1892.

Black American Arthur Ashe won the first men's final at the U.S. Open in 1964, while Virginia Wade, a British player, claimed the inaugural women's U.S. Open title just five months into her professional career.

Arthur Ashe Stadium was named after the aforementioned men's winner and became the main stadium, which was Louis Armstrong Stadium, now court number 2.

Games have been played on an acrylic hard court since 1978 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York City. In professional tennis, the U.S Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam.

In 2006, Roger Federer bested Andy Roddick to win his third straight US Open title , while Maria Sharapova downed Justine Henine Hardenne in two sets to claim her first US Open women's  championship

Today, the US Open remains an event revered for its history and respected for its drama; thousands tune-in world wide to watch their favorite players in pursuit of the American Championship.

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2006 US Open Tennis Preview

The Grand Slam tennis tournaments - the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open - are the leading major championships in this choice sport and competition of champions and spectators alike. Remaining one of the prestige tennis professional tournaments, and a fan-favorite, the US Tennis Open Series, Tournament and Championship, succeeds and continues to draw massive crowds and fans from around the globe. Millions watching pro-athletes peak and compete for the ultimate prize in tennis: the title, the bragging rights, the cup, the winnings and all that go with it: fame and fortune, recognition of the craft and skill, commitment and dedication to the sport of tennis. The US Open Tennis series, tournament and championship has it all!

From humble beginnings as early as 1881, spearheaded by the US Lawn Tennis Association's first National Championship, held in Rhode Island at the time, the US Open Tennis Series, Tournament and Championship sports 124 years of proud history.

It is the one tournament that is the ultimate champion in the survival game that is the grand slam. Unlike the other major grand slam tournaments it has lived, grown and thrived through numerous challenges, name-changes, location, playing surface and rules edits, yet still around and drawing many to courtside (or at least their television sets, computers and/or mobile devices to keep in touch with what is happening in and around the sport and standings! It continues however to also adapt and please crowds, spanning many generations and hopefully many still to come! This year, a court-color change, building and stadium upgrades and more, promises to contribute to yet another spirited and memorable event!

Some have pitted it as the "richest" pot in the world to be playing for, estimated at $14.5 million US dollars. This is now slightly higher with added prize-monies of up to $19.4 million.

There are five major championships that constitute the overall US Open Tennis Tournament. It encompasses the men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles. All of these categorized competitions grew from a single men's tournament, building up into the two-week extravaganza phenomena highlight that it is today!

The USTA National Tennis Center, Flushing, NY, USA is the proud hosting venue and choice location for this treasured event in present-day. The 2005 US Open was held Monday, August 29 through Sunday, September 11, with qualifying rounds 1 week earlier on the field courts at the same stadium, which is within easy reach of public transportation, subway, bus, train or car. Kim Clijsters, was the 2005 US Open women's champion and winner of the US Open Series and Andy Roddick on the men's side, with runners up Mary Pierce and Andre Agassi made for some exhilarating moments and match-ups in the finals.

The 2006 US Open Tennis Tournament will be held during the period of August 28 and September 10, 2006 and promises yet again to be the ultimate tennis experience for fans around the globe. This will be the 124th anniversary of the US Open Tennis Tournament with the largest winning pot ever.

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Jack Scrafford recommends PlatinumTickets to buy US Open Tennis tickets. See http://www.platinumtickets.com/usopentennis_tickets.html for more information.