Ilie Năstase defeated Arthur Ashe in the final, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(1–5), 6–4, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1972 US Open. It was his first major singles title, becoming the first Romanian to win a singles major.
Stan Smith was the defending champion, but lost in the quarterfinals to Ashe.
This marked the last major appearance of 12-time singles major champion Roy Emerson, who lost in the first round to Fred Stolle.
Seeds The seeded players are listed below. Ilie Năstase is the champion; others show the round in which they were eliminated.
Stan Smith (quarterfinalist) Ken Rosewall (second round) Rod Laver (fourth round) Ilie Năstase (champion) John Newcombe (third round) Arthur Ashe (finalist) Tom Okker (third round) Jan Kodeš (second round) Marty Riessen (third round) Manuel Orantes (third round) Cliff Drysdale (fourth round) Cliff Richey (semifinalist) Bob Lutz (fourth round) Andrés Gimeno (fourth round) Jimmy Connors (first round) Bob Hewitt (fourth round)
Draw
Key Q = Qualifier WC = Wild card LL = Lucky loser r = Retired
Final eight
Top half
Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Bottom half
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8
External links Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – 1972 US Open Men's Singles draw 1972 US Open – Men's draws and results at the International Tennis Federation