“We’re all about growth at the moment,” said USTA Foundation president Thomas S. Chen at last night’s Opening Night Gala. Given the recent opening of the Louis Armstrong Stadium—Andy Murray defeated James Duckworth on the new court yesterday—the organization is already well on its way. “At tonight’s gala we raised $1.6 million; that’s up from $1.1 million last year. What we’re doing is making ourselves more aware to the community and growing by our own success.” Through their Excellence Teams program, the USTA Foundation partners with stars like Frances Tiafoe and Sloane Stephens to engage the next generation of tennis players.

“We would like to see the generous contributions continue to build the infrastructure across the country,” added Dan Faber, USTA Foundation executive director. “They’re learning from some of the best pros in the world and the goal is to take that to college.” The foundation gala, which was hosted in the President’s Suite on-site at Arthur Ashe Stadium, was one way to help secure funding and garner more attention for the good works. “We’ve set a goal to raise $20 million a year by 2020,” said Y. David Scharf, USTA Foundation board member and co-chair of development. The foundation has also reached out to the community through their CharityBuzz auction, which includes everything from a meeting with FUBU founder and Shark Tank star Daymond John, lunch with Vera Wang, and a tour of the Vogue offices.

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The U.S. Open is about to begin! Not only that, but it’s actually the tournament’s 50th anniversary. In honor of the special occasion, Kelly Clarkson gave a performance to remember while wearing a silver outfit with metallic sequins. Taking the center stage (more like center-court), the pop star performed hits like “Walk Away” and “Since You’ve Been Gone” for the crowd. In addition to these show-stopping numbers, she told the crowd, “I love opening for Serena Williams.” Honestly, who wouldn’t? Check out some video of her epic performance as recorded by fans below.

Recently, the “Stronger” singer clapped back at a homophobic hater after Clarkson sent her congratulations to Kiana and Amanda Clark after they got married. “Sorry Kelly…love your music but I don’t dig the d**** ….still a sin any way you cut it,” Teri D wrote. To which, Clarkson replied, “I almost didn’t respond 2 this because hate doesn’t deserve a spotlight but u know what? Truth does, and the truth is that God is love and love shared between two people should be praised, not condemned, in my personal opinion. I love you too although we see the world/love differently.” Now, THAT’S how you nail a clap back!

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The 50th Anniversary US Open will double your evening pleasure starting Monday, Aug. 27, with the first-ever scheduled night session doubleheaders on the new Louis Armstrong Stadium alongside the matches on Arthur Ashe Stadium on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. ET.  The Ashe twinibill has six-time champion #17 Serena Williams who is seeking a record-tying 24th Major title vs. Magda Linette followed by defending champion and top seed Rafael Nadal who will begin his quest for an 18th Major victory vs. fellow Spaniard David Ferrer.  At the same time, two-time finalist Victoria Azarenka faces Viktoria Kuzmova on Armstrong before 2009 champ Juan Martin del Potro squares off with American Donald Young as the top half of each draw open the tournament.

ESPN2’s live coverage of the opening Monday night will include a performance from Arthur Ashe Stadium by Kelly Clarkson. The opening night 50th Anniversary festivities will be co-hosted by Billie Jean King and Mike Greenberg, co-host of ESPN’s weekday morning Get Up.

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The magazine is expanding its annual awards and summit into a three-day event with interactive elements accessible to consumers, part of Condé Nast’s goal to find new revenue sources.

November’s 28th annual Glamour Women of the Year Awards and summit — the first hosted by editor-in-chief Samantha Barry, who succeeded Cindi Leive in the top role at the American women’s title in January — will be more accessible to the public than ever before thanks to a new day of “experiences” for consumers, a weekend schedule and lower ticket prices.

As publisher Condé Nast moves forward with its efforts to cut losses by tapping new sources of revenue, “consumer experiences,” or events for which audiences buy tickets, are a key priority. That means developing new programs, such as the Teen Vogue Summit which launched in 2017, and expanding longstanding ones, such as Glamour’s Women of the Year Awards, an evening that celebrates the celebrities, entrepreneurs and unsung heroes who have shaped the preceding year and furthered women’s causes. For the last two years, the awards were complemented by a daylong summit of panels and speeches before the evening’s main event.

Barry says she made a “concerted effort to bring our audience into” her first iteration of the annual event by spreading the programming across three days from November 10 to November 12. Ticket prices start at $160 per day or $360 for the entire weekend. Last year, the summit was held on a Monday before the evening’s awards and cost $499 per person.

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Glamour’s editor-in-chief, Samantha Barry, announced that for her first time hosting the brand’s Women of the Year Awards and Summit (now in its 28th year), she will be extending the annual event to span three days, including a new experiential element, aimed to provide attendees with behind-the-scenes, exclusive-access activities across New York City.

Running November 10-12, each day of the WOTY will feature a specific element, starting with an “experience day” on Saturday, then the Live Summit on Sunday, culminating in the awards ceremony on Monday night. After spending the last two years in Los Angeles, the summit is returning to NYC this year.

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The USTA announced the names of 13 vocalists, ages 14 and under, who will perform patriotic-themed songs during the night sessions of the 2018 US Open and at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. The lineup for this year’s US Open will feature a new slate of talent from throughout the New York tristate area, as well as from Florida, Illinois and Michigan to name a few.

Kicking off with “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the 2018 Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day powered by Net Generation on Aug. 25 are brother and sister duo, Dylan and Denver Humphrey of Orlando. Both singers also participate in USTA’s Net Generation 14 and Under and 10 and Under divisions respectively.

Returning for her third consecutive year is 12-year-old Kialani Mills from Litchfield Park, Ariz. Mills will also serve as one of this year’s “US Open Kidcaster”, where she will lead in multiple interviews onsite during the tournament. Also returning to perform are Lucia Fernandez de los Muros of Miami and Lucy Scorziello from Stamford, Conn. for their second consecutive time.

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Piece by piece, 2018 is coming together to be a great year for vocal powerhouse Kelly Clarkson. 

Between hosting the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, maintaining her role as a prominent judge on The Voice, and releasing new singles off her most recent album Meaning of Life, Kelly Clarkson is now slated to headline the opening ceremony for the 50th annual U.S. Open.

Taking place just outside New York City at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the Aug. 27 performance will kick off the 50th anniversary of the two-week event, bringing together some of the world’s most powerful tennis figures. 

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Saturday was sweltering. Yet, perhaps that was fitting for the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, New York City’s hottest social event of the summer.

Celebrities and stylish sports fans flocked to Liberty State Park, where Nacho Figueras, Delfina Blaquier, and Team Veuve Clicquot took on Team Liberty Comets with the city skyline sparking in the background. Sienna Miller sent photographers into a tizzy when she arrived in a white Valentino frock paired with Mansur Gavriel shoes. She was fresh off a trip to France for the 2019 Louis Vuitton Resort show, which, she said, quite resonated with her. “There was a print on some of these boots that really likened to my psychedelic rave years,” she said, laughing.

Arriving soon after her was Penélope Cruz in a polka-dot Zac Posen dress. She, too, was recently in France. Her movie Everybody Knows received positive buzz at the Cannes Film Festival—not just because of its charismatic actors, but because of the news that Cruz received the same salary as her husband, Javier Bardem. “I don’t want it to be forgotten in one year, two years. This has to be the beginning of a very necessary change,” Cruz said about the fight for equal pay. “And in our industry, we have to speak for women everywhere.”

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