Who are these two fellas and why would they be featured in the same #FanTeaser this time of year?
If you asked yourself, what the heck is a trumpeteer doing in the #FanTeaser, then you’ve probably not been watching any of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships the past couple of weeks.
The trumpeteer in question, Louis Armstrong, is the namesake of the smaller of the two show courts at New York’s USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, NY.
The original Louis Armstrong Stadium stood from 1978-2016. The current version opened in 2018 and features a 14,000 seating capacity and a retractable roof. The stadium got its name from Armstrong who settled in the nearby Corona neighborhood in 1948 and spent his final three decades there with his wife, Lucille.
Before becoming a tennis venue, the location was called the Singer Bowl and used for the 1964 World’s Fair. It began hosting jazz events following Armstrong’s death in 1971 and was renamed for him before it became a tennis venue in 1978.
As for the other fella, Arthur Ashe, he really requires no introduction.
One of the greatest American tennis players of his generation (and beyond), Ashe won three Grand Slam events during his career (U.S. Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon) among his 76 total career titles. His U.S. Open title in 1968 was the first of tennis’ open era.
With a seating capacity of 23,771, Ashe Stadium is the largest tennis venue in the world. Opened in 1997 and dedicated in the late Arthur Ashe’s honor, it replaced the former Armstrong Stadium as the premier site on the grounds. Its retractable roof was added in 2016.
Louis Armstrong and Arthur Ashe are the namesakes of the two stadiums where the U.S. Open Tennis Championships are contested.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.