The US Open Series was the name given by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to a series of North American professional tennis tournaments leading up to and including the US Open. It was part of the "North American hard-court season".
History The Series was initially organized in 2004 as a way to focus more attention on American tennis tournaments by getting more of them on domestic television. Until 2004, most summer North American tournaments were not on television, the exceptions being the prominent ATP Tour Masters 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati. Since the inception of the series, Rafael Nadal is the only tennis player to win Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open in a calendar year (2013), a feat referred to as the "Summer Slam" or the "North American Hardcourt Slam".
Since the Series' inception, North American tournaments have shifted in and out of the Series. In 2023, its final year, the Series was made up of six tournaments: Newport, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Winston-Salem, Cleveland, and the US Open itself. In 2024, the US Open Series website began redirecting to the US Open's official website, indicating the final end to the Series.
Under the US Open's broadcast rights, ESPN held domestic rights to all US Open Series events from 2015 to 2019. The eight non-Masters tournaments received about 50 hours of television combined – about two hours on each day of their final weekends, chiefly on ESPN2. The Washington Open, which had been a part of the series since its 2004 founding, withdrew from the series starting with its 2015 edition due to frustrations over this lack of coverage and sold its exclusive coverage to Tennis Channel. The tournament rejoined the US Open Series in 2019. Since 2017, Tennis Channel broadcasts the US Open Series, except for the US Open itself, which is broadcast by ESPN.
Emirates sponsored the series under a deal in place from 2012 to 2016. The $90 million, seven-year sponsorship deal was supposed to last through 2018, but Emirates decided to reallocate its commitment by sponsoring the line-calling technology on ESPN's US Open Series broadcasts.
Tournaments
Past tournament winners Men Year Newport Los Angeles Indianapolis/Atlanta Washington Montreal/Toronto Cincinnati New Haven/Winston-Salem2004Not US Open Series Haas (1/2) Roddick (1/5) Hewitt (1/2) Federer (1/9) Agassi (1/2) Hewitt (2/2)2005 Agassi (2/2) Ginepri (1/2) Roddick (2/5) Nadal (1/6) Federer (2/9) Blake (1/3)2006 Haas (2/2) Blake (2/3) Clément (1/1) Federer (3/9) Roddick (3/5) Davydenko (1/1)2007 Štěpánek (1/2) Tursunov (1/1) Roddick (4/5) Djokovic (1/6) Federer (4/9) Blake (3/3)2008 Del Potro (1/4) Simon (1/1) Del Potro (2/4) Nadal (2/6) Murray (1/5) Čilić (1/2)2009 Querrey (1/3) Ginepri (2/2) Del Potro (3/4) Murray (2/5) Federer (5/9) Verdasco (1/1)2010 Querrey (2/3) Fish (1/2) Nalbandian (1/1) Murray (3/5) Federer (6/9) Stakhovsky (1/1)2011 Gulbis (1/1) Fish (2/2) Štěpánek (2/2) Djokovic (2/6) Murray (4/5) Isner (1/8)2012 Querrey (3/3) Roddick (5/5) Dolgopolov (1/1) Djokovic (3/6) Federer (7/9) Isner (2/8)2013Not held Isner (3/8) Del Potro (4/4) Nadal (3/6) Nadal (4/6) Melzer (1/1)2014 Isner (4/8) Raonic (1/1) Tsonga (1/1) Federer (8/9) Rosol (1/1)2015 Isner (5/8)Not US Open Series Murray (5/5) Federer (9/9) Anderson (1/2)2016 Kyrgios (1/3) Djokovic (4/6) Čilić (2/2) Carreño Busta (1/1)2017 Isner (6/8) Zverev (1/2) Dimitrov (1/1) Bautista Agut (1/1)2018 Isner (7/8) Nadal (5/6) Djokovic (5/6) Medvedev (1/3)2019 de Minaur (1/2) Kyrgios (2/3) Nadal (6/6) Medvedev (2/3) Hurkacz (1/1)2020CancelledCancelledCancelledCancelled Djokovic (6/6)Cancelled2021 Anderson (2/2) Isner (8/8) Sinner (1/1) Medvedev (3/3) Zverev (2/2) Ivashka (1/1)2022 Cressy (1/1) de Minaur (2/2) Kyrgios (3/3)Not US Open Series Ćorić(1/1) Mannarino (1/2)2023 Mannarino (2/2) Fritz (1/1) Evans (1/1)Not US Open Series Báez (1/1)
Women Year Stanford/San José San Diego/Carlsbad Los Angeles/Washington Cincinnati Montreal/Toronto New Haven/Cleveland 2004 Davenport (1/4) Davenport (2/4) Davenport (3/4)Not US Open Series Mauresmo (1/1) Bovina (1/1)2005 Clijsters (1/5) Pierce (1/1) Clijsters (2/5) Clijsters (3/5) Davenport (4/4)2006 Clijsters (4/5) Sharapova (1/3) Dementieva (1/2) Ivanovic (1/2) Henin (1/2)2007 Chakvetadze (1/1) Sharapova (2/3) Ivanovic (2/2) Henin (2/2) Kuznetsova (1/2)2008 Wozniak (1/1)Not held Safina (1/2) Safina (2/2) Wozniacki (1/5)2009 Bartoli (1/1) Pennetta (1/1) Janković (1/1) Dementieva (2/2) Wozniacki (2/5)2010 Azarenka (1/3) Kuznetsova (2/2)Not held Clijsters (5/5) Wozniacki (3/5) Wozniacki (4/5)2011 S. Williams (1/7) Radwańska (1/3) Sharapova (3/3) S. Williams (2/7) Wozniacki (5/5)2012 S. Williams (3/7) Cibulková (1/2) Rybáriková (1/1) Li (1/1) Kvitová (1/4) Kvitová (2/4)2013 Cibulková (2/2) Stosur (1/1)Not US Open Series Azarenka (2/3) S. Williams (4/7) Halep (1/3)2014 S. Williams (5/7)Not held S. Williams (6/7) Radwańska (2/3) Kvitová (3/4)2015 Kerber (1/1)Not US Open Series S. Williams (7/7) Bencic (1/1) Kvitová (4/4)2016 Konta (1/1)Not held Ka. Plíšková (1/1) Halep (2/3) Radwańska (3/3)2017 Keys (1/2) Muguruza (1/1) Svitolina (1/1) Gavrilova (1/1)2018 Buzărnescu (1/1) Bertens (1/1) Halep (3/3) Sabalenka (1/1)2019 Zheng (1/1) Keys (2/2) Andreescu (1/1)Not held2020Cancelled Azarenka (3/3)Cancelled2021 Collins (1/1) Barty (1/1) Giorgi (1/1) Kontaveit (1/1)2022 Kasatkina (1/1)Not US Open Series Garcia (1/1)Not US Open Series Samsonova (1/1)2023Not held Gauff (1/1)Not US Open Series Sorribes Tormo (1/1)
Bonus Challenge Upon the Series' creation in 2004, the US Open Series Bonus Challenge was introduced. Each event in the series would award a certain number of points depending on the event's tier (such as Premier 5), with players accumulating points based on how they performed. At the end of the Series, the top three male and top three female players with the most Bonus Challenge points would earn prize money in addition to the prize money earned from the individual tournaments. The amount depended on their placement in the Bonus Challenge standings and their US Open result. In 2010, for example, this amounted to $1 million for winning both the Bonus Challenge and the US Open itself.
Lleyton Hewitt and Lindsay Davenport were the top point-getters in 2004, Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters won in 2005, and Andy Roddick and Ana Ivanovic won in 2006. Defending US Open champions Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova won in 2007. In 2005, whereas Roddick was upset in the first round against Gilles Müller at the Open, Clijsters became the first player to win both the US Open Series and the US Open, receiving $2.2 million, at the time the largest payday in women's sports. Clijsters defeated Frenchwoman Mary Pierce in straight sets: 6–3, 6–1. In 2010 she won $2.2 million again, this time $1.7 million for the US Open title and $500,000 in bonus for second place in the US Open Series. In 2007, Federer became the first male player and the second player overall to win the US Open Series and go on to win the US Open, winning $1.4 million plus the US Open Series bonus of $1 million, bringing his prize winning total to $2.4 million. This topped Clijsters' $2.2 million as the biggest US Open payday to date. In 2013, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal both won the US Open after also winning the US Open Series. Due to several considerable prize money increments over the years, Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal surpassed Roger Federer's US Open Series payday record by winning $3.6 million each, and they shared the record for the largest prize money paycheck in tennis history for a single tennis tournament. In 2014, Serena Williams would repeat her previous year performance in winning both the US Open Series and the US Open. She now stands alone in the record for the biggest payday in tennis history, with a total amount of $4 million. Starting from 2017, the US Open Series ceased featuring a Bonus Challenge.
Points distribution
2008–2016 Round ATP Masters 1000 WTA Premier 5 ATP World Tour 500 & 250 WTA PremierWinner Finalist Semifinalist Quarterfinalist Round of 16
2006–2007
Round ATP Masters Series WTA Tour Tier I ATP International Series WTA Tour Tier IIWinner Finalist Semifinalist Quarterfinalist Round of 16
2004–2005
Round ATP Masters Series WTA Tour Tier I WTA Tour Tier II ATP International Series ($600,000 and above) ATP International Series (below $600,000)Winner Finalist Semifinalist Quarterfinalist Round of 16
Series standings + performance at the US Open Note: From 2006 on, only players who earned points in at least two US Open Series events are eligible for the final (Top 3) standings.
US Open resultsAdid not participate in the tournament#Rlost in the early rounds of the tournamentQFadvanced to but not past the quarterfinalsSFadvanced to but not past the semifinalsFadvanced to the finals, tournament runner-upWwon the tournament
YearPlayer (ATP Tour)PointsUS OpenPlayer (WTA Tour)PointsUS Open20041. Lleyton Hewitt1155F1. Lindsay Davenport1100SF2. Andy Roddick155QF2. Amélie Mauresmo100QF3. Andre Agassi123QF3. Elena Likhovtseva851R20051. Andy Roddick1201R1. Kim Clijsters225W2. Andre Agassi105F2. Mary Pierce100F3. Rafael Nadal21003R3. Amélie Mauresmo80QF20061. Andy Roddick147F1. Ana Ivanovic1273R2. Fernando González1243R2. Maria Sharapova122W3. Andy Murray1054R3. Kim Clijsters120A20071. Roger Federer170W1. Maria Sharapova1223R2. James Blake1674R2. Jelena Janković107QF3. Andy Roddick112QF3. Patty Schnyder3973R20081. Rafael Nadal4145SF1. Dinara Safina170SF2. Andy Murray145F2. Marion Bartoli904R3. Juan Martín del Potro140QF3. Dominika Cibulková853R20091. Sam Querrey1753R1. Elena Dementieva1702R2. Andy Murray1454R2. Flavia Pennetta5140QF3. Juan Martín del Potro140W3. Jelena Janković1402R20101. Andy Murray61703R1. Caroline Wozniacki185SF2. Roger Federer170SF2. Kim Clijsters125W3. Mardy Fish1404R3. Svetlana Kuznetsova71154R20111. Mardy Fish2304R1. Serena Williams170F2. Novak Djokovic170W2. Agnieszka Radwańska8 1302R3. John Isner140QF3. Maria Sharapova1303R20121. Novak Djokovic170F1. Petra Kvitová2154R2. John Isner 1403R2. Li Na1703R3. Sam Querrey 1353R3. Dominika Cibulková1003R20131. Rafael Nadal200W1. Serena Williams170W2. John Isner 1853R2. Victoria Azarenka145F3. Juan Martín del Potro 1302R3. Agnieszka Radwańska1304R20141. Milos Raonic9 2804R1. Serena Williams9 430W2. John Isner9 2003R2. Angelique Kerber9 1503R3. Roger Federer 170SF3. Agnieszka Radwańska1252R20151. Andy Murray1454R1. Karolína Plíšková9 1501R2. Novak Djokovic140W2. Serena Williams145SF3. John Isner954R3. Simona Halep140SF20161. Kei Nishikori 85SF1. Agnieszka Radwańska9 2204R2. Grigor Dimitrov10 704R2. Johanna Konta9 1704R3. Milos Raonic 702R3. Simona Halep145QF2017 Bonus challenge no longer held 1 – Hewitt and Davenport finished first in 2004 final standings based on more match wins in US Open Series events. 2 – Nadal finished third in 2005 (over Roger Federer) based on more set wins in US Open Series events. 3 – Schnyder was placed third in 2007 because Justine Henin (who had more points – 100 for winning Toronto) only played one tournament and was therefore not eligible for the top three positions. 4 – Nadal won the 2008 series ahead of Murray because Nadal defeated Murray in Toronto, Canada. 5 – Pennetta finished second in the 2009 final standings based on more match wins in US Open Series events. 6 – Murray won the 2010 series ahead of Federer because Murray defeated Federer in Toronto. 7 – Kuznetsova finished third in 2010 (over Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova) based on more games won in US Open Series events (all three won 9 matches and 19 sets). 8 – Radwańska finished second in the 2011 final standings based on more match wins in US Open Series events. 9 – Players who had their point totals doubled due to having obtained points in at least three different events, based on a rule enforced from 2014 on.