US Open Tennis Betting Offers 2024

Founded back in 1881 the US Open, or the United States Open Tennis Championships to give it its full name, is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the year. The tournament switched from grass to acrylic hardcourts back in 1978 and these days sees the highest attendance of all the grand slam tournaments. From 1978 onwards the event has been held at the Flushing Meadows US Tennis Association National Tennis Center, renamed the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in 2006, in Queen’s, New York.

By the time the US Open comes around players have reached their season peaks and this creates a high octane atmosphere with high expectations for the world’s top players and with over $65M in prize money there is a lot to play for.

On this page you will find US open specific sign up deals, regular tennis offers for new and existing customers as well as schedule information, format details and history of the US Open.

US Open Betting Offers for 2024

This event has not started yet, please check back nearer the time. For other offers see our main loyalty page.

US Open Schedule 2024

Play is divided into two daily sessions, the morning session begins at 11am (Eastern Time) and 7pm for evening sessions.

US Open Format

The US Open is run by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). This is a non-profit company set up to run the event, all proceeds from tickets are pumped directly back into tennis development in the US. Similar to the other grand slam tournaments with a complete knockout format starting with 128 men’s singles 128 women’s singles and 64 men’s, women’s and mixed doubles teams.

Until 1974 the tournament was held on grass, switching to clay for three years until 1978 and then finally switching to the acrylic hardcourts we see today.

The top 32 men and women and the top 16 doubles teams are seeded based on their ATP/WTA rankings and on their previous performance on hardcourts and at the US Open. These 32 seeds are entered into the draw in such a way that they cannot be drawn against each other until at least the third round (last 32).

There are 16 places for both men and women who come through the qualifying round the week prior, this is in effect a mini-open with 128 men and women entering into qualification. The rest of the places are made up dependent on ranking points with wildcard places for each sex.

Tiebreakers

The Tiebreak system was first used in the US and one major difference between the US Open and the other three Grand Slam events is the use of tiebreaks at the end of the final set.

In the other slam events and in most tennis tournaments if the final set (third set for women, fifth for men) is tied then play will continue until a player wins by 2 clear games.  Wimbledon also announced in 2019 they would also introduce final set tie-breaks if tied after 12-12 games.

At the US Open there is a tiebreak at the end of each tied set including the final set.  So if the final set finishes 6-6 the games will not continue as they would at say Wimbledon, instead the set goes to a tiebreak.

Statistics & Previous Winners

All records shown are from the professional Open Era, 1968 onwards.

About The United States Open Tennis Championships

History of the US Tennis Association (USTA)

The USTA or the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) as it was known then was founded in 1881 as a members only tennis club. In 1933 the association was voted the powers of regulation whereby it could expel or suspend players that did not meet their rules and regs. At this time the National Association had been a competing body. This made the USTA institution the main tennis regulatory body in the US.

In 1975 the word ‘lawn’ was dropped from the name, mainly because the US Open moved from clay to grass in 1974. The USTA now organises the US Open and owns the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre. All profits made are pumped back into grass roots tennis in the US.

History of the US Open

The first tournament was held at Newport Casino in Rhode Island on grass in 1881. Only members of the USTA could enter. Richard Sears won the first ever title and went on to win a further seven. Up until 1911, similar to Wimbledon, the previous year’s champion qualified directly for the final.

In the first few years only men were able to compete although six years later the first women’s championships were held at a separate location, the Philadelphia cricket club, and was won by Ellen Hansell. Similar to the men the previous winner qualified directly for the final and this continued until 1918. There were also separate tournaments for doubles and mixed doubles held at separate locations.

In 1915 the men’s event moved to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills (in Queens) closer to New York City, this was because most players and fans lived in the city and the argument was made to move it closer. Following a brief move to Philadelphia’s Germantown Cricket club in 1921 to 1923 the event moved back to West Side on the completion of a new 14,000 seater stadium. At this point the tournament was also renamed the United States National Championship.

When the game turned professional in the open era from 1968 onwards the various independent men’s, women’s and doubles events were merged into the US Open. In 1968 there were 63 female entrants and 96 male competing for a total of $100,000. In 1970 the tiebreak system was introduced first at the US Open, this is part of the reason why there are different tiebreak rules until this day, floodlights were also introduced in 1975 to allow evening play.

From 1975 until 1978 the tournament switched from grass to clay. In 1978 the tournament was moved to the USTA purpose built National Tennis Centre where the surface was switched for the last time from clay to hard.

The main court at the centre is the Arthur Ashe Stadium that holds 22,000 people, there is also a 10,000 seater Louis Armstrong Stadium and a 6,000 seater Grandstand Stadium with other smaller side courts too. Unlike other slams all the courts are floodlit allowing evening and night play with later scheduling to match. In 2005 courts were painted blue to allow more effective tracking of the ball for cameras and spectators.

The National Tennis Centre was renamed the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in celebration of the pioneering 4 times women’s champion. Billie Jean King won 12 titles in total including 6 Wimbledon, a French and an Australian Open.

The US Open remains the only Grand Slam to have been played every single year since it was founded in 1881.

US Hardcourts

The US Open is played on DecoTurf, this is a faster surface with less friction and lower bounce compared to the Australian surface (Rebound Ace). This surface while not as fast as grass came without the unexpected bounce caused by uneven grass, this means the courts have famously suited serve and volley players.

Prize Money

The US Open was the first grand slam tournament to offer equal prize money to men and women all the way back in 1973, in contrast it took until 2007 for Wimbledon to match this feat.

The first equal champions were John Newcombe and Margaret Court who won $25,000 each that year. In 2015 there was $42.3 million awarded in total prize money an increase on $38.3M in 2014 and $36M in 2013.

Prize money reached $50.4M in 2017, $53.0M in 2018, $57.25M in 2019, $57.5M in 2021, $60.1M in 2022 and $65M in 2023.

The men’s and women’s singles winner will receive around $3,000,000 with $1,500,000 to the runner up. A first round loser can expect to take home $81,500. This currently makes the US Open the highest paid of all the grand slams.

Doubles winners will take home $700,000 ($22,000 first round loser), mixed doubles winners $170,000 ($8,300 first round loser).

Flushing Meadows

The interesting thing about the fact that the venue for the US Open is always referred to as Flushing Meadows is that that’s not its actual name. It’s not even the name of the park in which the venue is located, which actually boasts the full title of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. That is a public park that can be found in the northern section of the borough of Queens in New York City.

In terms of public importance, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is right up there, being the home of numerous different sites that attract countless visitors to the area on a regular basis. These include the following:

• Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets
• The New York Hall of Science
• The Queens Museum of Art
• The Queens Theatre in the Park
• The Queens Zoo
• The New York State Pavilion

There’s one that is missing from that list, of course, which is the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. That is where the US Open takes place and has done ever since the venue opened its doors for the first time in 1978.

When it comes to the actual park, it has long been a site of national importance. It was created out of a dumping ground in order to be used for the New York World’s Fair in 1939/1940 and hosted the same event in 1964-1965. It was also where the previous home of the New York Mets baseball team, Shea Stadium, stood until it was demolished in 2009. Music fans will remember that The Beatles played Shea Stadium when they opened their tour of the US in 1965.

USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

Located within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park is the stadium complex that we’re interested in in particular for this section. You’ll notice the use of the word ‘complex’ there, which is because it would be misleading to suggest that this is just one stadium. There are, in actual fact, 2 stadiums next to each other with 33 courts in total for use during the US Open tournament.

Operated by the United States Tennis Association, the National Tennis Center was the idea of the then-incoming President of the USTA William Hester, who had spotted the Singer Bowl when on a flight into LaGuardia Airport, which isn’t far away from Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. He made a request to the City of New York that the venue be used to host the US Open and then set about renovating the area heavily when he was given permission.

By the time the 1978 US Open rolled around the area had been split into two areas, with the Singer Bowl being renamed as the Louis Armstrong Memorial Stadium and a grandstand being attached. The complex underwent few changes to modernise until rumours of the US Open moving to San Diego grew, leading to a major redevelopment project getting underway in 1995. That included the building of the Arthur Ashe Stadium, which replaced the Louis Armstrong Stadium as the major arena.

Work also began on a new multi-purpose tennis venue in 2008, which includes 12 courts as well as a pro shop and classrooms. The stadium complex has hosted Women’s National Basketball Association matches, but it is predominantly known for the US Open. Interestingly, because it is publicly owned, members of the public can play on the courts throughout the year, with the exception of when the US Open is taking place. It was renamed in honour of Billie Jean King in 2006.

The Show Courts

As mentioned, The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center has two main stadiums, but there are other courts at the venue that tennis matches take place in. The best way of thinking about these is like with the extra courts at Wimbledon away from Centre Court and No. 1 Court. Here’s a look at the key sections of Flushing Meadows.

Arthur Ashe Stadium

The venue opened its doors in 1997 as a replacement for the Louis Armstrong Stadium, although that actually remained open itself for a while longer but was considered to be the secondary stadium in the National Tennis Center from 1997 onwards. Costing $254 million to build and offering 15,547 seats at the time, Arthur Ashe Stadium also promised 90 luxury suites as well as 5 restaurants and a players’ lounge that was set over two levels.

The stadium opened ahead of the US Open, with Whitney Houston singing One Moment In Time at the inauguration ceremony that took place on the 25th of August 1997. It is the largest venue in the world that is specifically dedicated to the hosting of tennis matches, though in 2008 it did host a WNBA game between Indiana Fever and New York Liberty, which raised money for research into breast cancer.

When the stadium first opened it had green courts, which were difficult to see the ball on for viewers at home. In 2005 it was decided that the colour scheme should change, with electric blue DecoTurf cushioned acrylic surfaces being installed for the inner courts and light green being used on the outer ones.

Between 2008 and 2012 the US Open men’s singles finals were interrupted every year for the five years in succession, leading the USTA to announce in 2013 that it was planning to add a retractable roof to the venue. The fact that the stadium was built on the previous site of the Corona Ash Dump meant that the roof needed to be as light as possible in order to maintain the building’s integrity.

The solution was to use panels made of lightweight PTFE membrane that sits on glides, allowing it to open or close at a rate of up to 25 feet per second. As the stadium is not fully conditioned, a chilled water system of ventilation comes into effect when the roof is closed over. The roof cost $150 million and was part of an overall renovation of the National Tennis Center that also saw the capacity of the Arthur Ashe Stadium increased to its current size of 23,771. The roof was completed in 2016 and has been in play for US Opens ever since.

The Louis Armstrong Stadium

The original Louis Armstrong Stadium was originally the Singer Bowl that had opened for the New York World’s Fair in 1964. In the 1970s the United States Tennis Association began to look for a new venue where it could host the US Open, with the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills no longer available because of failing relations between the USTA and the owners. When incoming President of the Association W. E. Hester spotted the Singer Bowl from the window of his plane as it flew to land at LaGuardia Airport he knew it would be perfect.

Initially the Singer Bowl was heavily renovated, with one part of it becoming the newly crowned Luis Armstrong Stadium and the other half being turned into the Grandstand. When the Arthur Ashe Stadium was built in 1997 it was clear that the Lois Armstrong Stadium’s time was limited, with renovations taking place to make it more modern but reducing its capacity from 18,000 to 10,200. It kept going for another nine years, but in 2007 the decision was taken to demolish it in favour of building a new stadium on its site.

That stadium also took on the moniker of the Louis Armstrong Stadium and was opened on the 22nd of August 2018 with an exhibition match between Patrick and John McEnroe and James Blake and Michael Chang. Simona Halep and Kaia Kanepi played the first official match five days later in an appropriately noteworthy matchup; Kanepi won in two sets, marking the first time in the history of the US Open that the number 1 seed had lost in the first round of the competition.

The Grandstand

The final major part of the USTA’s National Tennis Center is the Grandstand, which is a show court that has room for 8,125 spectators. The one that stands today is not the same one that was created when the Singer Bowl was turned into the Louis Armstrong Stadium back in 1978, however.

The current iteration of the Grandstand was opened in 2016 and, in keeping with the rest of the US Open’s venues, boasts a DecoTurf court.

Serena Williams

Born in Saginaw, Michigan on the 26th of September 1981, Serena Jameka Williams is one of the most successful tennis players of all time. Her parents, Oracene Price and Richard Williams, have five children between them, of which Serena is one. Her older sister Venus was also a successful tennis player and the pair grew up playing against each other under the guidance and tutorship of their father. She began playing tennis as a 4-year-old and moved to West Palm Beach in Florida at the age of 9 in order to go to the Rick Macci tennis academy.

Serena soon earned a reputation as a talented youngster, shooting to the number 1 spot for under-10s on the United States Tennis Association junior tour. She didn’t begin her professional career until October of 1995, having been denied entry into the Bank of the West Classic in Oakland, California because of age restrictions earlier in the year. Originally her father wanted her to wait until she was 16 to begin playing professionally, which was a judgement call that proved justified when she lost in the first round of the Bell Challenge in Quebec.

She didn’t enter another tournament until her participation in the Ameritech Cup in Chicago in 1997. It was worth the wait, with Williams going on to defeat both 7th ranked Mary Pierce and world number 4 Monica Seles to become the lowest-ranked WTA player to defeat two top-10 players within the same tournament. She made it the semi-finals before eventually losing out to Lindsay Davenport. She get her revenge the following year, however, defeating Davenport in the quarter-finals of the Medibank International in Sydney.

Serena’s first professional title in singles tennis came in 1999 when she won the Open Gaz de France in the last year on which it was played on a carpet surface. Venus won the IGA Superthrift Classic on the same day, meaning that they became the first sisters to win tournaments in the week as each other. Serena then went on to defeat Steffi Graf in the final of the Evert Cup, handing her her first Tier 1 title. 1999 finished in spectacular style for Williams, seeing off previous Grand Slam winners Kim Clijsters, Conchita Martínez, Monica Seles, and the defending champion Lindsay Davenport on the way to the final of the US Open, where she defeated Martina Hingis to win her first Grand Slam.

That saw the start of a love affair between Serena and the US Open, which she went on to win five more times between 2002 and 2014. Combined with the seven wins in the Australian Open, it meant that Serena won singles titles on hard court surfaces more than any other. That’s to say nothing of the four doubles titles she won at the Australian Open and two in the same discipline at the US Open, as well as one at each tournament in mixed doubles.

None of which is to suggest that Serena doesn’t know how to win on other surfaces, of course. She won her first French Open in 2002 and picked up another two there in 2013 and 2015, whilst she’s won Wimbledon more than any other Grand Slam event. She picked up the Women’s singles title seven times between 2002 and 2016, including defending her title on three separate occasions. She has won more Grand Slam titles than any other player during the Open Era, coming second only to Margaret Court on the all-time list.

Primarily a baseline player, Williams’ strength lies in power and consistency, particularly when it comes to her serve. She tends to dominate rallies and uses her powerful backhand and groundstroke to dictate the play as much as possible. Her serve is unquestionably her biggest weapon, however, with many considering it to be the best that women’s tennis has ever seen. She combines incredible speeds of up to 129 miles per hour with stunning placement to meant that if she gets her first serve in then her opponent has little chance of reply. During her career she has enjoyed rivalries with the likes of Martina Hingis, Jennifer Capriati and, of course, her sister Venus.

After having a child and a break from tennis in 2017 Serena never quite hit the heights she did before but was always a draw any tennis player would want.  The 2022 US Open was her last major tournament before retiring, she lost in the 3rd round but she was naturally treated as if she had won it again.  Suffice to say it will be a long time before anyone gets near her record of 23 grand slams and 319 weeks at number 1.