Tennis - U.S. Open - Flushing Meadows, New York, United States - August 29, 2024 Comedian Chelsea Handler and US Open Tournament Director Stacey Allaster watch the Naomi Osaka of Japan and Karolina Muchova of The Czech Republic second round match. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
(Reuters) - U.S. Open tournament director Stacey Allaster will step down from the role after next year's edition of the Grand Slam and take up a strategic advisory position within the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the governing body said.
After a stint as WTA chairwoman and CEO, Allaster joined the USTA in 2016 as its chief executive of professional tennis and became the first woman to serve as tournament director of the U.S. Open four years later.
"I'm excited to close out my career in professional tennis with the USTA," Allaster said on Wednesday, adding that it had been an honour to lead such a prestigious tournament as the U.S. Open.
"I'm proud of the growth and innovation that propelled (it) to new record level attendance and even more so to have become (its) first female tournament director - an honour that will pave the way for more female leaders in the sport I love.
"For now, I'm focused and inspired to stage the most successful U.S. Open in 2025," the 61-year-old added
Tennis great Billie Jean King hailed Allaster's strong leadership and creative ideas at the helm of the U.S. Open, which welcomed over one million fans for the first time this year.
"She championed equality and progress, and worked tirelessly to raise the bar for success in her role," King added.
The USTA said Allaster will be part of a team to select a new tournament director after next year's U.S. Open.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
