The US Open celebrates equal prize money anniversary and an icon in a festive opening night.
Grammy Award winner Sara Bareilles will join icon Billie Jean King in headlining an Opening Night celebration at the US Open on Monday, as the tournament pays homage to King and the 50th Anniversary of Equal Prize Money with a special tribute before and during the Evening Session matches in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The tribute to King, the driving force behind bringing equal prize money to the US Open for the first time in 1973, will take place between the two evening session matches, culminating with Bareilles fittingly performing her hit song, “Brave.”
Among her many achievements, Bareilles composed the music and lyrics for “Waitress,” and stepped into the lead role of the musical both on Broadway and in London’s West End. She earned an Emmy Award nomination for her appearance as Mary Magdalene in NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar Live” and currently plays Dawn Solano on the Emmy-nominated musical comedy series “Girls5eva” now on Netflix.
Prior to the start of the night’s matches, nine-year-old singer Pranysqa Mishra will perform the National Anthem. She recently performed the anthem at the 2023 Billie Jean King Cup tie in Delray Beach, Fla., and has captured the hearts of audiences across North America, performing at numerous MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS games.
The colors will be presented by the FDNY Color Guard and the NYPD Honor Guard, a US Open tradition