US Open To Conduct 9/11 Memorial Tributes During Finals

Written by: Staff on 12th August 2011

US Open To Conduct 9/11 Memorial Tributes During Finals

epa02334534 A huge American flag is unfurled across center court in Arthur Ashe Stadium before the start of the men's final of 2010 US Open Tennis Championship between Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, Meadows, New York, USA, 13 September 2010. EPA/ANDREW GOMBERT |

US OPEN TO CONDUCT 9/11 MEMORIAL TRIBUTES DURING

2011 FINALS WEEKEND

Special Performances by Queen Latifah Prior to the Men’s Singles Final and Cyndi Lauper Prior to the Prime-time Women’s Singles Final

“9-11-01” to be Inscribed on Arthur Ashe Stadium Court

On Finals Weekend, the USTA and the US Open will remember those whose lives were lost on September 11, 2001, with a pair of pre-match ceremonies in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Prior to the start of the prime-time women’s singles final on Saturday, September 10, there will be a special performance by Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Cyndi Lauper. On Sunday, September 11, Queen Latifah – musician, television and film actress, label president and author – will preside over a tribute before the start of the men’s singles final. Queen Latifah performed at the US Open’s first ever Opening Night Ceremony in 2002, which was 9/11 themed.

For both the women’s and men’s singles championships “9-11-01” will be inscribed on Arthur Ashe Stadium court as part of this memorial tribute. The USTA also will include on the upper ring encircling Arthur Ashe Stadium the 9-11 memorial logo developed by the City of New York. This logo will replace a USOpen.org logo that will be in place prior to Finals Weekend.

“The USTA’s goal is to mark this solemn occasion in a dignified and respectful manner,” said Jon Vegosen, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “We are one of this nation’s global stages on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and we have a special responsibility to honor those fallen and those who responded heroically on that fateful day.”

Each ceremony will include a moment of silence and the unfurling of a giant American flag over the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium by a United States Marines Corps color guard. On Sunday, the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, the two men’s players competing in the Final will enter the court through an honor guard comprised of members of the New York Police Department, the Fire Department of New York and the Port Authority Police. There also will be a military flyover on Sunday, September 11, at the conclusion of the ceremony. CBS Sports will present live coverage of each ceremony as part of its broadcasts of the prime-time women’s final and Sunday afternoon men’s final.

In addition to the Finals Weekend ceremonies, the US Open tradition of boys and girls singing patriotic-themed songs in Arthur Ashe Stadium continues in 2011. Talented vocalists ages 12 and under are scheduled to perform nightly on Center Court after being selected in June by a celebrity panel of judges at the fifth annual open casting call, held at Harlem’s World Famous Apollo Theater in New York City.