Inside Last Night’s USTA Foundation Gala—Attended by Alec Baldwin, Vera Wang, and More

The U.S. Open returned with all the expected thrills, shocks, elation, and excitement. In the hours before Naomi Osaka’s triumph, Nick Kyrgios’s towel tantrum, and Andy Murray s spat with Stefanos Tsitsipas, fans snaked around Arthur Ashe Stadium as they waited for the chance to see the athletes in action.

Inside the President’s Box, philanthropists, celebrities, and retired tennis royalty gathered ahead of the matches. Attendees including Alec Baldwin, Anna Wintour, Vera Wang, Gayle King, and Mike Tyson toasted the long-awaited event. 

“It feels so great to be back,” said Wang. “I’m a big tennis fan. That’s no secret.” Of course, the glittering group was united by more than just a shared passion for the sport. The USTA Foundation, working primarily through the National Junior Tennis and Learning network, provides access to tennis for more than 165,000 underprivileged youths annually. Through scholarships, grants, and program services, the foundation changes lives around the country. Each year the Opening Night Gala provides vital support for the initiative, and last night broke the previous record by surpassing $2 million. 

“Anything that I can do to help kids and raise money,” Lindsey Vonn, the Olympic gold medalist, said. “I’m happy to be there.”

After the cocktail hour commenced, guests settled in for a late-summer feast. As Champagne poured, the live auction began. Expertly emceed by Baldwin and ESPN anchor Hannah Storm, the festivities elicited laughter and cheers from the energetic room. The worthy cause emboldened bidders, and the prizes, which included experiences at Wimbledon and the French Open, garnered an additional $500,000.  

This year’s Trailblazer Award, bestowed on the so-called Original Nine, signaled an accomplishment and a homecoming. In 1970, nine female players―Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Julie Heldman―rebelled against the USTA, which then paid male athletes far more. Their efforts created women’s professional tennis as it exists today. While undoubtedly pay discrepancies among athletes continue to be a problem, the wild success of players like Osaka and her opponent Marie Bouzková testified to the progress made in the last half century.

After the auction and awards concluded, guests moved to their seats to watch the matches. The night had just begun.