US Open 2011 Remembers 9/11

Written by: Staff on 11th September 2011

US Open 2011 Remembers 9/11

Fireworks explode over Arthur Ashe Stadium during the Opening Night Ceremony on the first day of the 2011 US Open Tennis Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA 29 August 2011. The US Open runs through 11 September 2011. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

The USTA and the US Open will honor those whose lives were lost on Sept. 11, 2001, this afternoon with a pre-match ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Singer and actress Queen Latifah will preside over the tribute; she also performed at the US Open’s Opening Night Ceremony in 2002, which was 9/11 themed.

Starting with last night’s women’s singles semifinal—which featured a special performance by Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Cyndi Lauper—and continuing through today, “9/11/01” has been inscribed on Arthur Ashe Stadium court as part of the memorial tribute.

The USTA has also included on the upper ring encircling Arthur Ashe Stadium the 9/11 memorial logo developed by the City of New York. This logo replaces a USOpen.org logo that was in place prior to the 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.”

Today’s 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. Also, the two women’s players competing today 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. To complete the ceremony, there will be a military flyover at the conclusion of the ceremony

(Courtesy of USTA)