Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawai'ian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month: Michael Chang, first Asian American to win the French Open

Michael Chang, born February 22, 1972 in Hoboken, New Jersey, is the youngest man in history to win a singles major, winning the French Open in 1989.  He became the first Asian American to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament in men's singles.  He won many "youngest-ever" records in his career.

He defeated Ivan Lendl, who was the #1 ranked player in the world, the current Australian Open champion and three-time French Open winner.

Chang won a total of 34 top-level professional singles titles, seven of them being Masters titles.  In 1996, he was ranked No. 2 in the world.

Celebrating Black History Month: Arthur Ashe, first African-American tennis extraordinaire

Arthur Ashe, born July, 1943 in Richmond, Virginia, was the first African-American to be selected to the United States Davis Cup team in 1963.  He is the first (and only!) African-American man to win singles titles at Wimbledon, US Open, and the Australian Open.  

He was the first black male to play in the Maryland boys' championships in 1958.  He was the first black man to win the National Junior indoor tennis title.  In 1968, he won the United States Amateur Championships.

He passed away in February 1993 from AIDS-related pneumonia following a tainted blood transfusion he received during heart bypass surgery in 1983.