AAPITA Takes the Court for Coin Tosses at the 2026 US Open

On September 9, the US Open spotlighted the AAPI community as part of its Be Open initiative, and members of our community helped open play by taking the court for the coin toss.

AAPITA Executive Director Samantha Crawford walked onto Arthur Ashe Stadium with Christina Li, a mentee from the Summer 2026 cohort of our Emerging AAPI Leaders Mentorship Program, for the coin toss ahead of the men's quarterfinal between Karen Khachanov and Alexander Blockx.

Christina Li, Samantha Crawford, Karen Khachanov, and Alexander Blockx pose for a photo after the coin toss before a Men's Singles quarterfinal match. (Photo by Darren Carroll/USTA)

Isabelle Nguyen and Melody Lee from the Asian American Pacific Islander Tennis Association pose for a photo at the net with Qinwen Zheng and Elena Rybakina. (Photo by Simon Bruty/USTA)

Spring 2026 mentees Melody Lee and Isabelle Nguyen did the honors for the women's quarterfinal between Elena Rybakina and Qinwen Zheng.

For our mentees, the moment marked the end of a summer of growth. The program pairs 14U junior players with former pros for six weeks of virtual mentorship and culminates at a Level 1 USTA National Championship and US Open AAPI Day.

We were also proud to see Tony Award winner Lea Salonga and New York designer Kim Shui take part in coin tosses throughout the day, bringing AAPI representation from Broadway and fashion onto tennis' biggest stage.

Simone Bolelli, Andrea Vavassori, Lea Salonga, Christian Harrison, and Neal Skupski pose at the net after the coin toss before a Men's Doubles quarterfinal match. (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/USTA)

Learn more about our Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program here.