The U.S. Open Is New York’s See-and-Be-Seen Event of the Year

Anna Wintour posing in front of a step-and-repeat. David Zaslav rubbing shoulders with Elon Musk and Barry Diller. Taylor Swift dancing alongside Travis Kelce. Shonda Rhimes reuniting with Ellen Pompeo. Cynthia Erivo in conversation with Lena Waithe.

No, this wasn’t the Met Gala, Fashion Week or the Oscars. It was the U.S. Open, all in a single year. The 144-year-old Grand Slam tournament has recently come to rival the Super Bowl as a magnet for Hollywood, media and business heavyweights — a transformation the U.S. Tennis Association says is no accident.

“We do outreach to publicists and their management teams to invite celebrities with the global audience in mind,” says Nicole Kankam, the USTA’s chief marketing officer who’s been with the governing body for nearly two decades. That audience includes tennis fans in the more than 200 countries where the matches are broadcast. “And New York is an entertainment hub for celebrities at every level,” she notes.

Once inside, marquee guests are pampered, ushered along the tournament’s signature blue carpet into private entrances. Access to one of Arthur Ashe Stadium’s luxury suites will score you private-balcony seating, an air-conditioned lounge with an en suite restroom and customizable chef-driven menus.

The setup is ideal for dealmaking, says Kirsten Corio, the USTA’s chief commercial officer. “A basketball or football game lasts maybe two and a half hours,” she says. “In our case, you have two matches per suite session, so you get undivided attention with your guests for sometimes double or triple that time.” 

The result? “Plenty of clients tell us this is the most successful hosting they do all year,” Corio adds, noting that deals are routinely “cultivated and closed” onsite. These tête-à-têtes can also titillate the tabloids, which can only speculate about what’s being discussed as the ball is thwacked about. Case in point: the baffling Zaslav-Musk meetup in September. A month later, Warner Bros. Studios hosted Tesla’s controversial robotaxi rollout.

The USTA works to extend the impact well beyond the grounds, sharing celebrity snapshots across social media. The tournament counts more than 5 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok; last year, a single clip of Swift and Kelce racked up 10.7 million views. “It’s not just about giving celebrities a great experience — it’s making sure it’s elevated and amplified externally,” Kankam says.

And the push continues. “Every year, we ask: ‘How do we outdo ourselves? How do we raise the bar?’ ” says Kankam. “We never rest on our laurels.”

On Sept. 6, after the women’s singles final, the electronic duo Odesza will headline the tournament’s official afterparty in the 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium. Tickets are already sold out. “We’re showing that the Open is expanding beyond tennis,” says Kankam. “It’s a destination for entertainment.”

This story appeared in the Aug. 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.