West Side Tennis Club

The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, a neighborhood in New York City, USA. It is most notable for hosting the United States Open Tennis Championships from 1915 until 1977. In addition, the finals of the Davis Cup were held at the club 10 times, more than any other venue. It is the current venue Forest Hills Tennis Classic, a WTA Tour Tier IV event, and a men's challenger event.

Early history

The club was founded in 1892 when 13 original members rented land on Central Park West for three clay courts and a small clubhouse. Ten years later, the land had become too valuable, and the club moved to a site near Columbia University with room for eight courts. In 1908, the club moved again to a property at 238th Street and Broadway. The new site covered two city blocks and had 12 grass courts and 15 clay courts.

The club hosted the International Lawn Tennis Challenge (now known as the Davis Cup) in 1911. With crowds in the thousands, the club leadership realized that it would need to expand to a more permanent location. In 1912, a site in Forest Hills, Queens, was purchased. The signature Tudor-style clubhouse was built the next year.

The US Open years

In 1915, the "United States Lawn Tennis Association National Championship", later renamed the U.S. Open, moved to West Side. By 1923, the success of the event necessitated the construction of a 14,000-seat horseshoe-shaped stadium that still stands today. The stadium's first event was the final of the International Lawn Tennis Challenge, which saw the U.S. defeat Australia.

During its years at West Side, the U.S. Open was often referred to simply as "Forest Hills", in the manner that The Championships, Wimbledon is referred to only as "Wimbledon". The Open saw some of its biggest moments and changes while at West Side, including the introduction of seedings in 1927, equal prize money for men and women in 1973, night play in 1975, and tiebreakers in 1970. Althea Gibson became the first black player to play in a Grand Slam event in 1950, and Billie Jean King was the first to win a Grand Slam event with a metal racquet in 1967.

In 1975, the tournament was switched to Har-Tru clay courts. By 1978, the tournament had outgrown West Side, and the USTA moved the tournament to a new site in Flushing Meadows. After the Open left, the club held various professional tournaments, and still holds a women's tour event today.

Other uses

In addition to tennis, the West Side stadium has also been a venue for many concerts, including ones by stars like Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, and Diana Ross.

External links

* [http://www.foresthillstennis.com/ Official Site]