The American Grand Slam
Every August, tennis comes to New York.
For two weeks at the edge of summer, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, becomes one of the great stages in sport. Matches stretch from hot afternoons into late nights. The crowd is close, vocal and unmistakably New York.
On August 30, the main draw of the 2026 US Open begins. Ahead of the first serve, we're looking back at the tournament—and the women who helped shape it.
From Newport to New York
The story begins far from Flushing Meadows.
The first U.S. National Championships were held in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1881, with the women's championship following in 1887. The tournament eventually made its way to the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens, before moving to its current home in Flushing Meadows in 1978.
Along the way, the US Open became the only Grand Slam to have been played on three different surfaces: grass, clay and hard court.
But its history isn't only about where the game was played. It's about who changed it.
The Women Who Changed the Game
In 1950, Althea Gibson became the first Black player to compete at the U.S. National Championships. Seven years later, she won the women's singles title, returning to win again in 1958.
Billie Jean King would become another defining figure. A four-time U.S. singles champion, her advocacy helped make the US Open the first Grand Slam to award equal prize money to men and women in 1973. Today, the tournament's home bears her name.
Generations followed. Chris Evert won four consecutive titles. Martina Navratilova dominated the following decade. Venus and Serena Williams brought a new era of power, personality and style to New York, with Serena winning her first Grand Slam here in 1999 at just 17 years old.
Where Sport Meets Style
The US Open has always made room for personality and what happens on court has often influenced what happens beyond it.
Tennis and golf share a particular sartorial history: polos, pleats, knits, visors and pieces designed first for movement that eventually became part of everyday wardrobes.
It's an idea that feels familiar to us at Williams Athletic Club.
We believe clothes for sport should earn their place beyond it. Performance should be built into the garment without becoming its entire identity. And women shouldn't have to choose between dressing for the game and dressing like themselves.
Different game. Familiar philosophy.
As summer begins its turn toward fall, we'll be watching New York for one final Grand Slam and celebrating the women who continue to move the game forward.
