The United States Tennis Association (USTA), the governing body of tennis in the United States, released the official poster of the US Open 2026, whose inclusive motto is “Celebrating Our New York History”, that is, “celebrating our history in New York”.
The work has a Latin and feminine stamp: its author is the Argentine designer and illustrator Eugenia Mello.
Mello titled the poster PULSE (“pulse”), and it will be the official image of the Open and its related activities, on and off the courts.
“It’s an honor, really, a pride to be part of the US Open. I can’t measure it, I can’t believe it. I know that many artists have done important work for the tournament. In November of last year I received the invitation and I made three different proposals that covered the city and celebrated our history. In March everything had to be finished,” she said excitedly.
It should be noted that May is National Tennis Month in the United States, with events and activities designed to encourage the community to practice this sport.
Since 1978, the tournament has been held annually at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, in Queens. Until 1977 it was played in Forest Hills.
The USTA reported that the Open will be held from August 23 to September 13. The calendar includes the popular Fan Week and the Qualifying Rounds for the main tournament, both events with free entry.
From Buenos Aires to New York through art
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Eugenia Mello came to New York City ten years ago to pursue a graduate degree in art. The energy and rhythm of the city conquered her, and she decided to stay. He lives in Brooklyn, although, as the tango says, always with his heart in the south.
Her client portfolio includes well-known brands such as Apple, Patagonia, SummerStage, Planned Parenthood and Poland Spring. Now the US Open is added. Nothing less.
Mello’s poster captures the pulse, heartbeat and rhythm of New York through its streets, its people, its energy and its history, to celebrate the US Open, considered the most important sporting event in the city and, without a doubt, one of the most relevant in the world.
In the center, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Unisphere, the Staten Island ferry, the Brooklyn Bridge, the Manhattan skyline, the New York Botanical Garden conservatory and many other symbols of the city stand out.
Two tennis players – a woman and a man – also appear on the court. The echoes of that little yellow ball resonate from Flushing to the five boroughs and beyond. The poster is dotted with colorful dots: art turned into metaphor and movement.
“My way of connecting with my work is through movement: a hand in space, us leaving the subway at rush hour. Each dot you see on the poster represents the pulse of the city; a line is a point that went out for a walk and serves to show movement. The dots of the city become many things that unite us. The dot is the link between the ball, the stars and the people; it can mean many things,” he explained.
Mello is also a writer—in 2020 she published the book Moving—and an art professor at Queens College and the School of Visual Arts, in Manhattan.
In 2025 he ran the New York City Marathon, an experience he described as “a dream come true.” She is an only child and has family in Argentina and Costa Rica.
For Mello, sport represents a high form of art. “I love tennis and sports in general: the excitement in the stadiums, the movement of the tennis players, the amount of energy present,” he said.
In World Cup times, she assured that she was ready to support the Argentine team, although she preferred not to reveal which is her favorite club in Buenos Aires.
Eugenia Mello is the second Latina to win the US Open call. In 2023, Brazilian Camila Pinheiro, mother of two children and resident of São Paulo, designed the commemorative poster for 50 years of equal pay in the tournament.
More information about the tournament, tickets and schedules: www.usopen.org.
