The final match of the 2001 U.S. Open featuring tennis stars Venus and
Serena Williams was groundbreaking. It was first time siblings had
squared off in the final match for more than 100 years. And it was the
first time both players were black. The photo of the smiling Williams
sisters holding their trophies after the tennis match appeared in
newspapers around the globe. It captured two athletes who fought, and
would continue to fight, for a place for women and African-Americans in
tennis and the world beyond.