With tennis fandom on the rise, the U.S. Open and sponsoring brands put the focus on fans

This story was first published by Digiday sibling Glossy.

The U.S. Open has long attracted commercial attention as brands seek to capitalize on the star power of tennis players like two-time champion Naomi Osaka or emerging contender Ben Shelton. But with attendance steadily growing, new initiatives and activations are putting the focus not solely on the athletes, but also on the fans — whether they’re there for the tennis, or for the vibes. 

One of those brands putting the focus on fans is Dove. In its inaugural year as an official U.S. Open partner, the body-care brand teamed up with influencer Estefania Pessoa — better known by her moniker of Tefi — to announce to her 1.9 million TikTok followers and 400,000 Instagram followers the chance to compete to act as Dove’s “official underarm correspondent” during the U.S. Open. Out of more than 100 submissions, Dove chose New Yorker Flora Manon to attend the Open during the third round of the singles championships, where she will create social content for the brand. 

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