Sloane Stephens took center stage at the 2026 US Open Opening Night Gala, where she was honored with the Serving Up Dreams Award during an evening that raised a record-shattering $2.7 million for youth development.
The star-studded event, hosted by Gayle King, celebrated Stephens’ dual legacy as both the 2017 US Open Champion and a powerhouse force for social change. Through her own Sloane Stephens Foundation founded in 2013, she has spent over a decade empowering thousands of young people in Compton, Fresno, and Miami Gardens with education, mental health support, and tennis training.
Stephens’ recognition at the gala comes on the heels of major national accolades, including her recent selection to TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in Philanthropy and her receipt of the 2025 ESPY Muhammad Ali Humanitarian Award.
“For a long time I thought God put me on this earth to be a great tennis player, but now I understand that tennis was just my vehicle,” Stephens shared in a powerful acceptance speech. She expressed deep gratitude for her mother and brother, who work alongside her in her philanthropic mission: “Getting to do this work with my family is one of the greatest honors of my life. We’ve been tested, we’ve been knocked down, but we keep showing up for each other and for the communities that we serve.”
The $2.7 million raised at Sunday’s gala will directly fund the USTA Foundation’s National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) network. This network, co-founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, provides free tennis and academic programs to more than 233,000 under-resourced youth nationwide. High-profile attendees rallying behind the cause included Arthur Ashe’s widow and fellow humanitarian Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, actor Orlando Bloom, fashion icon Vera Wang, Olympic Alpine skiing gold medalist Lindsey Vonn, and award-winning journalist Katie Couric.
