FILE - In this Aug. 24, 2017, file photo, Stacey Allaster, the U.S. Tennis Association's chief executive of professional tennis, watches a qualifying round of the U.S Open, as she was posing for a photo in New York. Allaster is taking over as the U.S. Open’s tournament director, the first woman to hold that job at the American Grand Slam tennis tournament. She will stay on as the USTA's chief executive of professional tennis, the association said Wednesday, June 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr., File)
June 10, 2020 - 1:47 PM
NEW YORK - Canadian Stacey Allaster is the U.S. Open’s new tournament director, the first woman to hold that job at the American Grand Slam tennis tournament.
Allaster, born in Windsor, Ont., and raised in Welland, Ont., is a former CEO of the WTA women’s tour and has worked at the U.S. Tennis Association since 2016, pushing for changes such as the serve clock and warmup clock and lobbying for coaching to be allowed during matches.
She will stay on as the USTA's chief executive of professional tennis, the association said Wednesday.
Allaster worked with Tennis Canada before moving to the WTA, serving as tournament director for the Rogers Cup.
This is a pivotal time for the group that oversees tennis in the United States.
The USTA announced Monday that it had eliminated 110 positions from its national staff and is expected to decide as soon as next week whether to hold its marquee event amid the coronavirus pandemic. The U.S. Open's main draw is scheduled to begin Aug. 31.
Allaster is replacing David Brewer, who joined the USTA in 1997 and became the Open’s tournament director in 2012. The USTA said last year that Brewer would be stepping down after the 2019 Open.
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