2003 U.S. Open
Fort Lauderdale, Florida • July 2-6, 2003

There wasn’t always just one U.S. Open! 70 years ago, in the spring of 1933, there were two. One run by the American Ping-Pong Association (APPA), and the other run by the New York Table Tennis Association (NYTTA). Shown below are photos of both of these tournaments. (At the time, they were called Nationals.)

In a move to consolidate these two rival Associations, the USTTA (now USATT) was founded in the fall of 1933. Things have changed a lot in 70 years. Back when we put on our first U.S. Open, we had three events: Men’s Singles and Doubles, and Women’s Singles. Now we have 58!

Some call our Opens a "madhouse," with so many players – but that’s the charm of our unique tournaments, where the regular tournament players and fans get to hobnob with the stars, and there is little boundary between spectators and players, since most attendees are both.

So I hope you will have a great stay, whether as a player, spectator or worker. A special thanks goes to the tournament sponsors: Butterfly (tables and barriers); Nittaku (balls); and Pioneers (USA team uniforms), and to North American Table Tennis for voluneerting to run the tournament at no charge. An equal thanks goes to the volunteers and staff that made this tournament possible.

Sincerely,

 

Sheri Pittman

USATT President

 

	The 1933 APPA Chicago Nationals, Palmer House.
	The 1933 NYTTA National Championships at Gimbel’s Department Store in New York City. A bit cramped!

 

Photos courtesy of Tim Boggan, from History of USA Table Tennis, Part I

 

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