1976_09 index

Location: Forest Hills NY
Camera: Praktika
Quarterfinals of the US Open at West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills NY on Wednesday 9/08/1976.

The Open era began in 1968, so this was the ninth US Open. This was the next to last year at Forest Hills, as the tournament moved to Flushing in 1978. It was the second of three US Opens played on clay (grass through 1974, clay 1975 through 1977, hard courts starting 1978). My pix show grass on some outer courts and the 3-year-old World Trade Center on the Manhattan skyline.

First, Guillermo Vilas defeated Eddie Dibbs 6-1, 2-6, 7-6, 7-6; I remember that match as a marathon. The New York Times reports it as taking three hours (attendance: 16,223), which suggests to me that play was faster then than now. Next 21-year-old Chris Evert defeated Natasha Chmryeva 6-1, 6-2 (no pix here); the Times says it was her 99th consecutive victory on clay. Then Jimmy Connors defeated Jan Kodes 7-5, 6-3, 6-1. Finally, Paul Kronk & Cliff Letcher defeated Vitas Gerulaitis & Ilie Nastase in men's doubles. Connors went on to defeat Vilas in the semis and Bjorn Bork in the men's final, Evert won the women's final, and Kronk & Letcher lost in the men's doubles final. It was very hot, a very long day, but fun.