
US Open singles champions to get record $5 million
The U.S. Tennis Association announced the payouts Wednesday for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on Aug. 19-20. The singles competition starts on a Sunday for the first time - August 24 - as the brackets expand from 14 days to 15.
The increases at Flushing Meadows - where last year's total compensation was $75 million - come as the sport's leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and 2024 U.S. Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called 'decisions that directly impact us.' Since then, some players have held talks with the majors.
The previous high amount for a U.S. Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year's $5 million check represents a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists will earn $1.26 million, a 26% rise.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Kuwait Times
7 hours ago
- Kuwait Times
Fritz, Shelton set up all-American ATP Toronto Masters semi-finals
Sizzling Osaka to face Tauson in WTA Canadian Open semis TORONTO: US second seed Taylor Fritz overcame a late niggle while serving for the match on Tuesday to beat Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) and reach the ATP Toronto Masters semi-finals. The American claimed his place in a fifth semi-final of the season after losing serve while trying to close out what had been looking like a quick win, finally coming through into the last four at this level for the first time after 83 minutes. The Californian will play for a spot in the Thursday final when he takes on fourth seed Ben Shelton, who won a Masters quarter-final on his fourth attempt, defeating Australian Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4. Shelton laid down 11 aces in his 91-minute victory and dominated on rallies longer than nine shots. The result ended a seven-match win streak for last week's Washington champion de Minaur. 'I'm really happy with that performance. It showed mental toughness from start to finish,' Shelton said. 'This win gives me a lot of confidence, I'm excited about the semi-final. 'People often just see me as a server, not much of a grinder, but when I go into lockdown mode and put a lot of balls onto the court, it surprises guys sometimes. 'Winning longer rallies is all part of my evolution.' MONTREAL: Naomi Osaka of Japan plays a forehand against Elina Svitolina of Ukraine during their quarterfinals singles women's match on Day Ten of the WTA 1000 National Bank Open at IGA Stadium in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. – AFP Shelton set up three match points with his final ace and needed only one chance to emerge the winner. Fritz admitted he was struck by brain freeze as he served for victory leading a set and 5-4. After saving three break points he put a return into the net for 5-all as Rublev held on. 'That game was so shaky for me, we had both been holding serve easily, everything felt calm and chill,' he said. 'It came out of nowhere, the pressure of that game. It was tight and my brain just turned off. 'The only thing to do is to come back and try to win the set. That's what is able to make it all feel not as bad.' Fritz did just that, closing out the win 15 minutes later in the second-set tiebreaker with a serve winner. Fritz struck a personal-best 20 aces (for three-set matches) among his 29 winners. He now stands 6-4 over Rublev. The American has now won 19 of his last 22 matches including reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals. Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka advanced to the semi-finals of the WTA Canadian Open on Tuesday with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-2 triumph over 10th seed Elina Svitolina. Osaka, chasing her first WTA Tour-level title since the 2021 Australian Open, needed only 68 minutes to dispatch the Ukraine star and book a Wednesday semi-final with Danish 16th seed Clara Tauson, who stunned reigning Australian Open champion Madison Keys 6-1, 6-4. 'I'm just having a lot of fun playing. I'm glad to be here,' Osaka said. 'I think I'll be seeded in the US Open because I won my match. That was a really good goal for me. I'm just really excited.' Tauson dedicated her victory to her late grandfather, who died on Sunday as the Dane was dispatching Polish second seed Iga Swiatek, who won her sixth Grand Slam title last month at Wimbledon. 'Two days ago, my grandfather unfortunately passed away so I really wanted to win for him today,' a tearful Tauson said after beating US sixth seed Keys. 'I was told the day after I beat Iga so I really wanted to come out and show my best tennis for him. Hopefully he's watching.' The US Open hardcourt tuneup in Montreal is the first event where Tauson has beaten two top-10 foes, with Swiatek and Keys exiting at her hand. Tauson dominated the opening set and took full advantage of Keys giving up a break on a double fault to open the second. The Dane won 12 of 19 points on her second serves and kept Keys at bay most of the night. Keys joined a scrap heap of Montreal seeds, with the top five seeds and seven of the top 10 seeds ousted before the quarter-finals. Tauson, 22, seeks her fourth career WTA title after the 2021 Lyon and Luxenbourg Opens and this year's Auckland Open, where Osaka retired after winning the first set of the final in their only WTA meeting. 'She's really tough,' Osaka said of Tauson. 'I played her in Auckland this year. I had to stop halfway because I was injured. So I'm really excited that I'm healthy.' First title as a mom? Osaka seeks her eighth WTA-level title, and her first since a maternity leave comeback last year. She last won a WTA-level title below the Grand Slams at the 2019 China Open. Osaka broke for a 3-1 edge in the opening set and exchanged breaks in the last three games to capture the set after 38 minutes, then cruised through the second set, taking the triumph when Svitolina hit a forehand wide. Tauson is one win away from her second WTA 1000 final, having lost the first in February at Dubai to Mirra Andreeva. The Dane dominated Keys in the first set, breaking in the fourth and sixth games, and Keys double faulted away another break to begin the second set. Tauson held from there to win, never facing a break point in the second set before holding at love in the last game to end matters after 70 minutes. Elena Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, and 18-year-old Canadian sensation Victoria Mboko will meet in Wednesday's other semi-final. Rybakina won their only prior meeting 6-3, 7-5 last month in the second round at Washington. — AFP


Arab Times
9 hours ago
- Arab Times
US Open singles champions to get record $5 million
WASHINGTON, Aug 6, (AP): Prize money at the U.S. Open will rise to nearly $85 million across all competitions this year, including a record $5 million each to the women's and men's singles champions, and total player compensation is jumping 20% to $90 million, the most in tennis history. The U.S. Tennis Association announced the payouts Wednesday for the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins with the new mixed doubles event and its $1 million top check on Aug. 19-20. The singles competition starts on a Sunday for the first time - August 24 - as the brackets expand from 14 days to 15. The increases at Flushing Meadows - where last year's total compensation was $75 million - come as the sport's leading players have been in discussions with each of the four major tournaments in a bid to receive a higher percentage of revenues at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, French Open, and Australian Open. Novak Djokovic, Coco Gauff, and 2024 U.S. Open champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were among 20 players who signed a letter sent to the heads of the four Grand Slam events in March seeking more prize money and a greater say in what they called 'decisions that directly impact us.' Since then, some players have held talks with the majors. The previous high amount for a U.S. Open singles championship was $3.85 million in 2019, before decreasing during the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's $5 million check represents a 39% hike from last year's $3.6 million. The same percentage increase was applied to the singles runners-up, who get $2.5 million each. Semifinalists will earn $1.26 million, a 26% rise.


Arab Times
10 hours ago
- Arab Times
Trump to put additional 25% import taxes on India, bringing combined tariffs to 50%
WASHINGTON, Aug 6, (AP): President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday to place an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil, bringing the combined tariffs imposed by the United States on India to 50%. The tariffs would go into effect 21 days after the signing of the order, meaning that both India and Russia might have time to negotiate with the administration on the import taxes. Trump's move could reshape India's economic ambitions. Many American companies have seen India as an alternative to Chinese manufacturing that Trump had hoped to diminish through the use of tariffs. Even though China also buys oil from Russia, Beijing was not subject to the additional tariffs in the order signed by the Republican president. The U.S. and China are currently in negotiations on trade, with Washington imposing a 30% tariff on Chinese goods and facing a 10% retaliatory tax from Beijing on American products.