USTA and IBM Announce Five-Year Extension to Securing AI and Cloud Partnership Through 2031

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and technology giant IBM have agreed to a five-year extension of their long-standing commercial and technical partnership, ensuring IBM remains the Official Artificial Intelligence and Cloud Partner of the US Open Grand Slam tournament through 2031.

The multi-year renewal extends a 35-year operational relationship that began with the launch of USOpen.org in 1995 and the tournament’s first mobile app in 2009, continuing the deployment of hybrid cloud and generative artificial intelligence architectures across the national governing body’s digital ecosystem.

The commercial extension follows a record-breaking 2026 US Open that generated significant global fan engagement across both physical and digital channels. Platforms powered by IBM logged more than 270 million total fan interactions across USOpen.org and the official US Open mobile application combined.

The 2026 tournament introduced new fan-facing generative AI tools, including Live Updates, momentum-tracking Key Moments, and a data-heavy Serve Quality metric that processes tracking data from ball, racquet, and player motion.

On-site attendance reached a record 1.2 million fans over the three-week event, including 300,000 attendees during Fan Week.

Across owned social media channels, the USTA recorded 3.9 billion interactions, a 26 per cent increase compared to 2025, while broadcast partner ESPN delivered its highest viewership since 2022, with the men’s and women’s singles finals averaging 3 million viewers.

Global broadcast coverage accumulated a record 374 million viewer hours throughout the tournament.

VP of Sports and Entertainment Partnerships at IBM, Kameryn Stanhouse, highlighted the role of data processing in driving digital value for sports properties.

“For 35 years, IBM and the USTA have worked together to redefine how technology can bring fans closer to the game.

“This renewal builds on that legacy, bringing IBM technology to the next generation of the US Open fan experience.

“It’s also a powerful example of what’s possible when organisations turn complex data into meaningful experiences that create more value for their audiences,” Stanhouse said. 

Senior director of digital strategy at the USTA, Brian Ryerson, noted that technological innovation remains central to the tournament’s global engagement strategy.

“Our partnership with IBM has produced decades of groundbreaking innovation for the US Open and for our fans.”

“Every year we utilise cutting-edge technology to not only push the boundaries of digital engagement but to provide our fans the most useful and interesting ways to connect with our sport.

“We’re grateful for everything our partnership with IBM has produced and I’m very excited to see where our work goes over the next five years,” Ryerson said. 

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