US Open 2026 Zverev Wins But the Red Carpet Stole the Show

The US Open Wrapped Up With Zverev, But the Real Story Was the Red Carpet

The 2026 US Open closed out on Sunday, September 13, with Alexander Zverev overpowering American Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6, 5-7, 6-2 to capture his second career Grand Slam title, extending American men's tennis' long wait for a home-grown major champion that now stretches back to Andy Roddick's 2003 win (CBS Sports). On the women's side, Elena Rybakina claimed the singles title earlier in the tournament, adding to a fortnight that, once again, proved the US Open is as much a cultural event as it is a tennis championship.

Tennis Was Only Half the Show

Over its 21-day run from August 24 through September 13, the tournament drew what may be its most star-studded crowd yet. Roger Federer made his first competitive appearance at Arthur Ashe Stadium since 2019, playing an exhibition that closed with a drone show, while Serena Williams returned to the grounds to compete in mixed and women's doubles (Forbes).

Brad Pitt and Ines de Ramon, Nicole Kidman, Anna Wintour, and Lin-Manuel Miranda were among the steady stream of A-listers spotted throughout Fan Week and the tournament's later rounds, with the men's final alone drawing a blue-carpet turnout befitting a film premiere as much as a sporting event (Forbes, ATP Tour). This kind of celebrity density isn't incidental, it is central to how the USTA and its broadcast partners package the event, turning ticket holders and television viewers alike into an audience for entertainment as much as elite sport.

Why Brands Keep Showing Up Year After Year

That blend of sport and spectacle is exactly what makes the US Open such a durable marketing platform. A tournament that runs for three full weeks, unlike a single-day championship, gives sponsors dozens of discrete moments to activate around: practice courts, Fan Week giveaways, red carpet arrivals, and the matches themselves. It is also part of why the tournament has held onto long-tenured partners across fashion, beauty, and hospitality even as other properties see more sponsor churn.

The layered structure rewards brands willing to build a full campaign rather than book a single ad spot, and this year's roster of celebrity sightings gave every one of those activations an extra jolt of earned media well beyond the sports pages.

A few things stood out about how the tournament's cultural pull showed up in coverage this year:

• Celebrity attendance stories ran continuously throughout the three-week event, generating a second news cycle running parallel to the actual results on court.

• Legacy moments, like Federer's on-court return and Williams' doubles appearance, generated attention that reached well beyond typical tennis coverage.

• The men's final drew comparisons to a red-carpet premiere as much as a sports broadcast, reflecting just how thoroughly entertainment culture has folded into the tournament's identity.

What This Means Going Forward

Zverev's win gives him his second major title and further cements his position atop men's tennis, but the tournament's real commercial engine remains its three-week window as a magnet for pop culture.

For brands weighing where to put marketing dollars next season, the US Open offers a template that other single-day sporting events simply cannot replicate: an extended run of programming where the sport, the celebrities, and the fashion all feed the same story. As long as A-listers keep showing up at Arthur Ashe Stadium, expect sponsors to keep building campaigns around all three weeks, not just the final.

Sources: CBS Sports, Forbes, ATP Tour