(CNN) -- When the winner of the women's singles at the U.S. Open picks up her check for $2.6 million -- buck for buck the same as the men's champion -- she might well reflect that, if not for Billie Jean King's pioneering efforts, those riches might not exist. Supreme champion on the court, battler for equality off it, King took on the male-dominated tennis establishment and won. She was the driving force behind the formation of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973, the same year she famously beat former men's grand slam champion Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" match in Houston.
@highlight
Billie Jean King is a 12-time grand slam singles champion
@highlight
American is a famed fighter for equality and women's rights
@highlight
She was the driving force behind the women's WTA Tour
@highlight
Founded the same year she beat Bobby Riggs in famous "Battle of the Sexes"
With a winner-take-all $100,000 check riding on the outcome, @placeholder lost his nerve and was beaten 6-4 6-3 6-3.