September 2019

Billie Eilish, Metallica, Lizzo, Many More to Perform at 10-Hour Global Citizen Festival

Billie Eilish, Metallica, Lizzo, Coldplay, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe, Miley Cyrus, Alicia Keys and many others will perform in a 10-hour, globally broadcast, multi-location concert on Sept. 26, 2020, as part of a year-long initiative titled, “Global Goal Live: The Possible Dream.” Created in partnership with advisory firm Teneo, the globally broadcasted event will span five continents, taking place in New York, Nigeria, and other countries to be announced in Latin America, Europe, and Asia.

“The scale of this problem – helping get 736 million people out of extreme poverty – will take everyone’s participation,” Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans said. “Our goal, to put it simply, is to engage every single person on the planet in this mission. To do so we must boldly and creatively reach global citizens where they are – in person, on television, on their phones, and online.”

For full story, click here.

September 2019

4 winners and 4 losers that defined the 2019 US Open

The 2019 edition of the two weeks of tennis known as the US Open has come to an end. Champions were crowned: Canadian Bianca Andreescu vanquished Serena Williams and the women’s field, Rafael Nadal conquered the men’s side, Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah were crowned men’s doubles champions, Elise Mertens and Aryna Sabalenka won women’s doubles, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray won the mixed doubles title.

But the official scores only tell one part of the story: who won the last match of the tournament.

These last two weeks brimmed with intrigue, drama, a hero named Coco, and even some good old villainy, thanks to a Russian young gun. While only one champion is crowned in each field of the tournament, a player doesn’t have to take home a title to be a winner. Likewise, not every player who doesn’t leave with one is a loser. (Not even the official champions are always heroes in fans’ eyes.)

For full story, click here.

September 2019

Celebrities at the 2019 U.S. Open

There’s was much action in the stands as there was on the court for star spotters at the 2019 U.S. Open. Gigi Hadid and Alec Baldwin, among others, were photographed at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

The nearly two-week tennis event wrapped up Sept. 8.

Here’s a look at celebs cheering on their favorite players.

To view photos, click here.

September 2019

Bianca Andreescu Wins the U.S. Open, Defeating Serena Williams

If you have been considering active visualization, this seems a fine time to start.

The technique certainly has worked wonders for Bianca Andreescu, a 19-year-old Canadian tennis player, who for years has been closing her eyes and envisioning herself winning the United States Open against Serena Williams.

On Saturday afternoon, with her eyes wide open and her shots so often bold and true, Andreescu went out and did just that.

“For it to become a reality is so crazy,” Andreescu said, breaking down in tears in her post-match news conference. “I guess these visualizations, really, really work.”

Her remarkable 6-3, 7-5 victory, which capped her first appearance in the U.S. Open, thwarted the 37-year-old Williams’s latest attempt to match Margaret Court’s record of 24 major singles titles.

For full story, click here.

 

Celebrities at the 2019 US Open: See the Stars Holding Court at Courtside

Wimbledon may have all of those princes and princesses, dukes and duchesses, but the U.S. Open is played in Queens—and every year the stands fill up with celebrity royalty.

In the opening week of the final Grand Slam of the season, stars from sports, movies, television, modeling and other galaxies came to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to see which of the Big Three will take home the men’s title. (Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have won the last 11 majors and an astonishing 54 out of 65 since Wimbledon in 2003.) And all three champions looked invincible in their opening round matches.

On the women’s side, Serena Williams remains the queen of Queens to fans—model Gigi Hadid came out to watch her play a second-round match—but a new generation of players, including Coco Gauff and defending champion Naomi Osaka, also fired up the New York crowd.

Among the celebrities who came out for the tournament’s opening night gala were Hilaria and Alec Baldwin, Spike Lee, Katie Couric, Rita Moreno, and Robin Roberts. Entertaining the crowd on Monday were Tony Award-winner Ben Platt (Dear Evan Hansen) and Ali Stroker, who won a Tony this year for Oklahoma!, sang the national anthem.

For full story and to view gallery, click here.

August 2019

Gigi Hadid Proves She’s a Perfect Fan at the 2019 U.S. Open

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words—just look at this one of Gigi Hadid at the 2019 U.S. Open 

The supermodel was snapped in the stands at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City, visibly very enthusiastic as she watched her famous friend Serena Williams compete against Katy McNally. The tennis legend ended up winning the headline-making match on Wednesday inside Arthur Ashe Stadium—perhaps spurring this very candid reaction from the catwalk pro. After all, things had been tense. “Only my queen @serenawilliams can have me this wired at midnight,” Hadid wrote on Instagram about the nail-biting game. 

With the annual tournament officially underway again, the stars have flocked to Queens in New York to see the exciting games unfold. 

For full story and to view gallery, click here.

August 2019

U.S. Open ‘Fan Week’ events, from free music to pride panel

For one week, the grounds of the U.S. Open belong to the fans.

From Monday through Sunday, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park will host free music, food and other activities, along with a chance to catch some of the top tennis players in the world warming up for the Grand Slam event.

“The U.S. Open is our biggest opportunity to bring tennis to the masses — to give people the opportunity to see this sport up close and personal,” said USTA spokesman Brendan McIntyre.

For years, it was a well-known secret shared by die-hard tennis fans: You can catch qualifying matches and roam the grounds without a ticket the week before the tournament started. But now, the USTA has embraced the week and christened it “Fan Week.”

For full story, click here.

August 2019

US Open tennis 2019: All the cool, free Fan Week fun

This week, you can head to Queens for a slew of free programming, from a photo show to happy hours accompanied by DJ sets. And, if you want, you can see Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal practice their tennis swings — again, for free.

It’s all part of Fan Week at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, a weeklong festival that kicks off the US Open tennis championship, beginning Aug. 26.

The festival’s events include matches at the Open’s Qualifying Tournament, in which up-and-coming players duke it out from Monday to Friday between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. for a chance to compete.

You’ll catch Williams and other top-notch players practicing their serves and backhands in the Grandstand court from Tuesday to Friday between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Visit USOpen.org for a schedule of practices and players vying in the qualifying tournament.

For full story, click here.