{"id":1555,"date":"2015-09-02T17:39:06","date_gmt":"2015-09-02T17:39:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/?p=1555"},"modified":"2015-09-05T17:42:03","modified_gmt":"2015-09-05T17:42:03","slug":"opening-night-at-the-us-open","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening Night at the US Open"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1559\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1559\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1559\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala-300x174.jpg\" alt=\"Maria Bueno during the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration at the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Andy Marlin)\" width=\"300\" height=\"174\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala-300x174.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala-500x289.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala-560x324.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala-260x150.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala-160x93.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/MEB-HS-Gala.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1559\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Maria Bueno during the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration at the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Andy Marlin)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Maria Bueno is currently in New York enjoying the US Open.<\/p>\n<p>On Monday she attended the USTA Foundation\u2019s Opening Night Gala as a guest of benefactors Chris and Courtney Combe, who were honoured during the dinner for their unstinting support of the charity.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was a very special evening and I was thrilled to be included by Chris and Courtney, with their family and friends,\u201d said Maria. \u201cThey do so much for various different charities and deserve to be recognised.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1572\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1572\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1572\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Alec Baldwin and Katie Couric speak during the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric-500x333.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric-560x373.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric-260x173.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric-160x107.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Alec-Baldwin-and-Katie-Couric.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1572\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Alec Baldwin and Katie Couric speak during the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Hosted by Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award-winning actor Alec Baldwin and Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor Katie Couric, the\u00a015th annual gala raised around $750,000.<\/p>\n<h2>Opening Night Gala<\/h2>\n<p>It was a glittering night in New York, with the likes of Alec Baldwin, Katie Couric, Anna Wintour, Martha Stewart, Vanessa Williams, Shaun T and former Mayor David Dinkins gracing the President\u2019s Box after the fund-raising dinner.<\/p>\n<p>The charitable arm of the USTA provides lifetime sport of tennis and education for young people every year and is helping to rehabilitate wounded, ill and injured service men and women. It aims to increase this support over the coming years, thanks to the efforts of celebrities, generous donations and fund raising activities, such as the USTA Foundation\u2019s Opening Night Gala.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-1555 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/usta-foundation-gala-8\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"179\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria-300x179.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Chris Combe (L) with Maria Bueno attending the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Andy Marlin)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1574\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria-300x179.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria-500x298.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria-560x334.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria-260x155.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria-160x95.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-and-Maria.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1574'>\n\t\t\t\tChris Combe (L) with Maria Bueno attending the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open  (Photo USTA\/Andy Marlin)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/usta-foundation-gala-2\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"209\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks-300x209.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Watched by his wife Courtney, Chris Combe speaks at the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-1562\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks-300x209.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks-500x348.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks-560x389.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks-260x181.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks-160x111.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Chris-speaks.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-1562'>\n\t\t\t\tWatched by his wife Courtney, Chris Combe speaks at the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open  (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>\u201cWhy do Courtney and I support the USTA Foundation?\u00a0 Because it is changing lives,\u201d said Chris Combe in his acceptance remarks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Foundation supports programs that are providing life lessons of physical and mental activity, competing, persevering, and sportsmanship.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI personally think tennis can be one answer to the pandemic of obesity in the US and the world.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe USTA Foundation is providing life mentors, coaches, and teachers for 237,000 young people including our student speaker this evening &#8211; Kallah Masudi, as it did for Arthur Ashe, James Blake, Todd Martin, and Katrina Adams.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kallah Masudi, a senior at Foundation Collegiate Academy and a product of the USTA Foundation\u2019s National Junior Tennis and Learning of Trenton was celebrating her eighteenth birthday, and she delivered a rousing speech on the merits of the program she has benefitted from since the age of ten.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-1555 gallery-columns-1 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/kallah-and-meb\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"420\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Kallah Masudi and her mother with Maria Bueno (Photo Tenlink)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1570\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB-500x375.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB-560x420.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB-260x195.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-and-MEB-160x120.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1570'>\n\t\t\t\tKallah Masudi and her mother with Maria Bueno (Photo Tenlink)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/usta-foundation-gala-6\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Katie Couric (L)and Kallah Masudi during the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1569\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi-500x333.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi-560x373.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi-260x173.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Katie-Couric-and-Kallah-Masudi-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1569'>\n\t\t\t\tKatie Couric (L)and Kallah Masudi (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/usta-foundation-gala-5\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"373\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"(L-R) Vanessa Williams, Kallah Masudi and USTA President Katrina Adams during the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1565\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams-500x333.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams-560x373.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams-260x173.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Vanessa-Williams-Kalah-Masudi-and-Katrina-Adams-160x107.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1565'>\n\t\t\t\t(L-R) Vanessa Williams, Kallah and USTA President Katrina Adams (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/usta-foundation-gala-4\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"560\" height=\"324\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Kallah Masudi and Martha Stewart at the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1564\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart.jpg 600w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart-300x174.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart-500x289.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart-560x324.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart-260x150.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Kallah-Masudi-and-Martha-Stewart-160x93.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1564'>\n\t\t\t\tKallah Masudi and Martha Stewart  (Photo USTA\/Steven Freeman)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/usta-foundation-gala-3\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"381\" height=\"600\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Courtney-and-Chris-Combejpg.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"Courtney Combe and Chris Combe attend the USTA Foundation opening night Gala celebration during the 2015 US Open (Photo USTA\/Andy Marlin)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-1563\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Courtney-and-Chris-Combejpg.jpg 381w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Courtney-and-Chris-Combejpg-191x300.jpg 191w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Courtney-and-Chris-Combejpg-260x409.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Courtney-and-Chris-Combejpg-160x252.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 381px) 100vw, 381px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-1563'>\n\t\t\t\tCourtney Combe and Chris Combe (Photo USTA\/Andy Marlin)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>\u201cI had the pleasure of sitting next to Kallah at the dinner and she is a delightful personality,\u201d continued Maria. \u201cShe was a bit nervous about her speech but managed it beautifully. I was impressed!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The highlight of the night was a live auction led by Baldwin and Couric.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, an online auction at\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.charitybuzz.com\/usta\" target=\"_blank\">www.charitybuzz.com\/usta<\/a>\u00a0allows supporters to bid on exclusive experiences, items, memorabilia and more. The online auction closes at the end of the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>The opening ceremony featured a light show of the newly installed roof structure on Arthur Ashe Stadium and multiplatinum-selling Josh Groban performing songs off his recent album \u2018Stages\u2019, as well as an appearance of the ever-popular Billie Jean King and the current Mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1577\" style=\"width: 1010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1577\" class=\"wp-image-1577 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night.jpg\" alt=\"Arthur Ashe Stadium with its new roof structure in place on Opening Night (Photo Tenlink)\" width=\"1000\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night.jpg 1000w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night-300x121.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night-500x202.jpg 500w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night-560x226.jpg 560w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night-260x105.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Ashe-Opening-Night-160x65.jpg 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1577\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Arthur Ashe Stadium with its new roof structure in place on Opening Night (Photo Tenlink)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI think it was the best opening I\u2019ve seen at the US Open,\u201d said Maria. \u201cIt was very classy and appealed to everyone. The duet that that Josh [Groban] did with\u00a0Lena Hall\u00a0<span style=\"letter-spacing: 0.05em; line-height: 1.6875;\">was fantastic!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1579\" style=\"width: 211px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Serena.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1579\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1579\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Serena-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"Serena Williams in action on opening night at the US Open (Photo Tenlink)\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Serena-201x300.jpg 201w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Serena-260x389.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Serena-160x239.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Serena.jpg 401w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1579\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Serena Williams in action on opening night at the US Open (Photo Tenlink)<\/p><\/div>\n<p>First up on the world\u2019s biggest tennis stage was Serena Williams against Vitalia Diatchenko in what proved to be a disappointingly one-sided whitewash.<\/p>\n<p>Diatchenko struggled with an ankle injury throughout the match before eventually withdrawing two games into the second set, but Williams later praised the Russian for attempting to compete on the Arthur Ashe Stadium Court.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt isn\u2019t very good to see a match like that,\u201d said Maria. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t help the game at all and it seems to me that something needs to be done about players struggling onto court to make sure they get their prize money.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know what its like to have to go on to the court just so you can get paid, but these days tennis is entertainment and if you are not up to performing you should not be there.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is not heroic to just turn up, you have to be able to play at your best.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Wildlife&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>In the President\u2019s Box the main excitement was the appearance of a squirrel swirling around the legs of the TV camerman and storming up the steps in an attempt to flee from the assembled guests.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was unbelievable, the poor thing was obviously a bit frightened and he was trying to make a break for it!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately for the rest of the house and the organisers, the opening-round match between Rafael Nadal and the unseeded 18-year-old\u00a0Boran Coric did not disappoint.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCoric is a real talent and it was a great match in which Rafa was tested and won,\u201d said Maria. \u201cHe seems to be finding himself, which is great!\u201d<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-3' class='gallery galleryid-1555 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-medium'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/squirrel\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Squirrel-224x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"A surprised squirrel in the President&#039;s Box on Opening Night of the US Open (Photo Tenlink)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-1571\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Squirrel-224x300.jpg 224w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Squirrel-260x348.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Squirrel-160x214.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Squirrel.jpg 448w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-1571'>\n\t\t\t\tA surprised squirrel in the President&#8217;s Box on Opening Night of the US Open (Photo Tenlink)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/rafa\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Rafa-225x300.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"Rafael Nadal saved the day (Photo Tenlink)\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-3-1578\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Rafa-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Rafa-260x347.jpg 260w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Rafa-160x213.jpg 160w, http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Rafa.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-3-1578'>\n\t\t\t\tRafael Nadal saved the day (Photo Tenlink)\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maria Bueno is currently in New York enjoying the US Open. On Monday she attended the USTA Foundation\u2019s Opening Night Gala as a guest of benefactors Chris and Courtney Combe, who were honoured during the dinner for their unstinting support&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"more-link-p\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mariabueno.org\/indextemp.php\/opening-night-at-the-us-open\/\">Read more &rarr;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Opening Night at the US Open<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Maria Bueno attended the USTA Foundation&#039;s Opening Night Gala at the US Open and was surprised 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