Venus (L) greets Serena (R)
On this date in 2001, two Black women decided the women’s U.S. Open tennis tournament championship for the first time. The opponents were sisters Serena Williams and Venus Williams.
Additionally, this was the first Grand Slam final between African Americans, and the sisters had not played in a Slam final since 1984 at Wimbledon. Venus Williams (21) and Serena Williams (19) from Compton, CA., played two sets at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City, with Venus winning 6-2, 6-4.
After the match, Venus said, “This is our first Grand Slam together, and that’s how I’d like it to be, then both of us win in a way.”
