At just 17 years of age, Serena Williams won her first Grand Slam singles title at the 1999 U.S. Open.
Fifteen months younger than her sister Venus, Serena did what big sis failed to do in the 1997 tournament and topped World No. 1 Martina Hingis.
At the time, the court at the roofless Arthur Ashe Stadium was green. Tactics and overall craftiness, rather than pure power, dominated the women's game and had made Hingis a five-time Grand Slam champion. Serena's once-signature beaded braids, which would occasionally come loose and scatter onto the court, were out in full force. And in Japan, Naomi Osaka was still a month away from her second birthday.