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chanda rubin

The Day Arthur Ashe Stadium Debuted For The 1997 U.S. Open

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

It was on August 25, 1997 when Arthur Ashe Stadium officially debuted for play on the first day of the 1997 U.S. Open.

The following is a summary of the day, from the celebration and dedication ceremony to the players who first played matches on the court and their reactions to the new stadium court home for the U.S. Open. This excerpt is taken partially from the book “On This Day In Tennis History” by for sale and download here: https://a.co/d/dLpqiK1

1997 – The United States Tennis Association dedicates Arthur Ashe Stadium with a dramatic evening-time on-court ceremony featuring Ashe’s widow Jeanne Moutassamy Ashe, 38 former U.S. champion and Whitney Houston, who sings “One Moment In Time” to the sell-out audience of 23,000 fans.

“He embodied the best in tennis and sports,” John McEnroe said during the ceremony of Ashe. “He was a remarkable athlete who led an even more remarkable life. He was far and away the greatest ambassador tennis has ever had.”

Former champions participating in the on-court ceremony include Don Budge, Jack Kramer, Rod Laver, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Monica Seles, who stays on the court for the festivities following her first-round night-match win over Kristie Boogert 6-2, 6-1. Earlier in the day, Tamarine Tanasugarn of Thailand wins the first-ever match on Arthur Ashe Stadium defeating Chanda Rubin 6-4, 6-0.  

“I feel very happy that I played in the stadium, to be the first,” says Tanasugarn.

The first men’s match on the court feature two American greats, Jim Courier and Todd Martin with Martin beating his U.S. Davis Cup teammate 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.

“This facility is vastly improved,” says Martin of the new $254 million refurbishment of the grounds of the USTA National Tennis Center. “It’s a great reward for American tennis players. It gives us something to be very proud of, to be able to play not only in one of the most unique cities in the world, but also in one of the more unique and one of the nicer, if not the nicest, tennis facilities in the world. I think the USTA deserves a lot of credit and a lot of praise for what they’ve done. I’m sure there’s going to be a few nitpicky complaints and criticisms here and there, but I think the public should be pleased and the players and (the media) and everybody else involved with the tournament should be pretty pleased. I think some people in the public might get the short end of the stick, but that usually comes with change.”

“I like this one a lot better than the old one,” says Courier, comparing Louis Armstrong Stadium to the new Ashe Stadium “I think it’s a lot warmer inside. I think one thing that’s good about it, too, for some reason, with the construction of this one, the winds don’t swirl. They’re much more consistent. The other one, it was kind of like a toilet bowl, went all the way around. You can quote me on that.”

Future world No. 1 and two-time U.S. Open champion Venus Williams makes her U.S. Open debut, also on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court, and defeats Larisa Neiland of Latvia in the first round 5-7, 6-0, 6-1. 

“It was definitely a privilege playing on this court,” says the 17-year-old Williams. “Definitely a perfect name to name the court after. And Arthur has done a lot for the game, a lot for the world. He was a great role model, not just on the court but off the court also. It’s a good thing.”

Tarango and Rubin Highlight New USTA Board Nominees

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Jeff Tarango and Chanda Rubin, two former U.S. Olympic team members, highlight new nominees for the U.S. Tennis Association’s Board of Directors as directors at large, WTM has learned.

As expected, USTA First Vice President Jon Vegosen has been nominated as the new USTA President, to take office January 1, 2011, replacing Lucy Garvin, who will assume the board position of Immediate Past President. Dave Haggerty, the chairman of Head USA, has been nominated as First Vice President. Former WTA Tour doubles standout and Tennis Channel commentator Katrina Adams has been nominated as a Vice President.

Jeff Tarango

Tarango, a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team and a former standout at Stanford University, won two singles titles and 14 doubles title on the ATP World Tour. In 1995, he famously walked out of a third-round match at Wimbledon trailing Alexander Mronz of Germany 7-6 (6), 3-1 after a series of disagreements with chair umpire Bruno Rebeuh of France, whom Tarango called “one of the most corrupt officials in the game.” Following his walk-off, Tarango’s wife Benedicte famously slapped Rebeuh in the face. In his post press conference, Tarango alleged that Rebeuh helped players that he was friends with and is the most corrupt official in the sport. “Well, things were pretty crazy, and I have a lot of basis for what I’m saying,” said Tarango following the match, “It’s a long, long story. I’m sorry that things happened, but I don’t feel that a player has any defense these days in getting some kind of justice when things go wrong against him.” Tarango was subsequently fined $63,000 and banned for two major tournaments, including Wimbledon the following year.

Rubin reached a career-high of No. 6 in the world in 1996 after reaching the semifinals of the Australian Open. She won seven singles and 10 doubles titles on the WTA Tour. She was a member of the 1996 and 2004 U.S. Olympic teams and also represented the U.S. in Fed Cup play for five years.

The full list of nominated USTA board members are as follows;

Jonathan Vegosen President

David A. Haggerty First Vice President

Katrina M. Adams Vice President

Carol J. Welder Vice President

Donald L. Tisdel Secretary-Treasurer

Seth G. Abraham – Director at Large

Dale G. Caldwell – Director at Large

William J. Kellogg – Director at Large

John N. Korff – Director at Large

Delaine B. Mast – Director at Large

Andrew A. Valdez – Director at Large

Patrick J. Galbraith – Director at Large

Chanda Rubin – Director at Large

Jeff Tarango – Director at Large

Lucy S. Garvin – Immediate Past President

THE SECOND-LONGEST WOMEN’S TENNIS MATCH OF ALL-TIME

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Barbora Zahlavova Strykova of the Czech Republic and Russia’s Regina Kulikova created tennis history Tuesday playing the longest women’s match in the history of the Australian Open and the second longest match of all time.

Strykova won the first-round match, 7-6 (7-5), 6-7 (10-12), 6-3, in 4-hours-19 minutes, played over two days because of Monday’s rain in Melbourne. The previous longest women’s match at the Australian Open was a 3-hours, 33 minute match, a 6-4, 2-6, 16-14, victory by Chanda Rubin over Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the quarterfinals in 1996.

According to the authoritative book THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS ($35.95, New Chapter Press, www.NewChapterMedia.com), the 4:19 match is the second-longest women’s match of all-time, trailing only the epic and infamous six hour, 31-minute marathon played in the first round of the 1984 Virginia Slims of Richmond, Vicki Nelson Dunbar defeating Jean Hepner  6-4, 7-6 (13-11) with the tie-breaker alone lasting an hour and 47 minutes, one point lasting 29 minutes, a rally of 643 strokes.

According to Collins and his history book, the second longest women’s match of all-time was the 4:07 epic with Virginie Buisson defeating Noelle Van Lottum 6-7 (3), 7-5, 6-2 in the 1995 French Open first round. The third longest was a three hour, 55 minute match where Kerry Melville Reid defeated Pam Teeguarden 7-6 (7), 4-6, 16-14 at the1972 French Open third round.

MARIA DOES NOT LIVE UP TO HYPE DOWN UNDER

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Maria Sharapova was unceremoniously bounced in the opening round of the 2010 Australian Open, losing to fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-4 on Rod Laver Arena. The match last 3:22 and was the second longest women’s match ever at the Australian Open. Only the 1996 quarterfinal match where Chanda Rubin defeated Arantxa Sanczhez Vicario 6-4, 2-6, 16-14 in 3:33 lasted longer

The former world No. 1 was the subject of much hype entering the tournament, including being the feature of a significant USA Today feature story last week and as the pick to win the event from three members of the Tennis.com editorial staff. Nike also announced last week that they signed her to an eight-year, $70 million deal, the largest endorsement deal for a female athlete in history,

The match, played between the pair of 22 year-old Russians who have both posed for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, was played under a closed roof at Rod Laver Arena as rain in Melbourne kept for the roof to be closed at the start of the match and for the duration.

Sharapova hit 55 winners, but registered 77 unforced errors in the match.