NEWS

Adidas Honors Billie Jean King With the Return of Her Iconic Blue Suede Shoe

To honor long-time adidas partner and sports icon Billie Jean King and the start of the final major tennis tournament of the season in New York, adidas is bringing back King’s iconic Blue Suede Shoe more than five decades after she wore her original pair in the historic “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973.

King wore the blue suede shoes when she defeated Bobby Riggs in front of a global audience of 90 million people, a landmark victory that transcended tennis, challenged perceptions of women in sport and became a defining moment in the broader fight for gender equality.

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Blueair Teams With Jessica Pegula on Limited-Edition Cooling Fan Ahead of US Open

Blueair is bringing its athlete partnership with American tennis star Jessica Pegula to the product side, launching a limited-edition version of its AlwaysCool Handheld Fan ahead of the 2026 US Open. The Jessica Pegula x Blueair AlwaysCool Handheld Fan features a chartreuse-and-navy color scheme inspired by Pegula’s home turf, along with her signature on the handle and special packaging. The collaboration represents Blueair’s first athlete-designed product colorway and expands a partnership with Pegula that began earlier this year.

Ace Pickleball Club Media Launches Beyond The Bounce, Opens Crowdfunding Opportunity

Ace Pickleball Club is expanding its reach beyond the court with the launch of a new media platform designed to connect pickleball players, brands and businesses across digital content and real-world experiences. Ace Pickleball Club Media (APCM) announced the debut of Beyond The Bounce, a new digital pickleball and lifestyle magazine, while simultaneously opening a Regulation Crowdfunding investment opportunity that allows eligible members of the public to invest in the media company.

U.S. OPEN

Chipotle Ties Taylor Fritz’s U.S. Open Run to Fan BOGO Promotion

Chipotle Mexican Grill is putting extra incentive behind Taylor Fritz’s run in New York, launching a tennis-themed promotion that will reward fans with buy-one-get-one entrée offers each time the top-ranked American men’s player advances with a singles victory. The “Every Win Tastes Better” campaign builds on Fritz’s three-year relationship with Chipotle and his well-documented affinity for the restaurant while competing. Following each Fritz victory, he will post a unique text-to-win code on his Instagram Story, giving fans an opportunity to claim BOGO entrée offers redeemable through Chipotle’s app or website.

JPMorganChase Celebrates 45 Years of US Open Partnership

JPMorganChase is marking a major sponsorship milestone at this year’s US Open, celebrating 45 years of partnership with the tournament while rolling out new fan experiences, customer benefits and community initiatives across the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. New this year is Chase Market, an activation modeled after a classic New York City bodega. Fans visiting the space can receive scratch-off tickets offering giveaways and prizes. Another new experience gives attendees the opportunity to pose for a tennis-themed magazine cover and receive a personalized digital version.

Alliant Returns to US Open With Third Consecutive Athlete Campaign

Alliant Insurance Services is returning to the US Open for a third consecutive year with an athlete-focused campaign that uses professional tennis to highlight the increasingly complex business of risk management in sports. The company and its Alliant Private Client division will support a select group of professional tennis players during their matches in New York as part of the Alliant Champions Greatness campaign. The initiative reflects the insurance broker’s broader investment in professional sports and its efforts to connect the strategic decision-making required in elite competition with the risk-management challenges facing businesses, teams and athletes.

ROBOT TENNIS

Humanoid Robots Take the Court in Autonomous Tennis Milestone

Tennis provided the stage for a striking demonstration of advances in artificial intelligence and robotics as humanoid robots developed by Beijing-based Galbot completed more than 100 consecutive autonomous exchanges with human players during the Second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. Former world No. 15 and Wimbledon semifinalist Zheng Jie was among the human players taking part. During the demonstration, a Galbot robot traded forehands and backhands with Zheng and responded to different spins and trajectories. Reports from Beijing indicated that serves exceeded 100 kilometers per hour. In one sequence, the robot lost its balance while pursuing a difficult ball, fell backward and then returned to its feet to continue play.