Meet the girl who makes certain stars get the VIP remedy on the U.S. Open.

There’s Ben Stiller, entrance row for the Taylor Fritz–Novak Djokovic match, watching each level with intent. Beside him, Owen Wilson. A number of seats down? Elizabeth Banks. And that’s only a sampling from one evening session on the U.S. Open, America’s largest and loudest skilled tennis event. A few of the greatest names haven’t even touched down in Queens, N.Y., but — however because the event stakes get greater, so does the movie star wattage.

Even non-tennis followers can get swept up within the different sport taking place outdoors of the courts: movie star watching. Behind the velvet ropes and completely chilled champagne, there’s one individual ensuring the celebs are seated on the proper match, the caviar-topped rooster nuggets are boxed up and the Honey Deuces are flowing.

Enter Amanda Wight, who leads this system. Whereas her crew does “somewhat outreach” to safe high-profile names to look at tennis’s greatest skills duke it out on the court docket, this 12 months from Aug. 18 to Sept. 7, she says her inbox is stuffed up with asks — and her cellphone doesn’t cease buzzing.

“Principally the requests come on to us — by means of buddies of the Open, brokers and even gamers who’ve movie star buddies, both different athletes or entertainers,” Wight tells Yahoo.

The star energy would possibly look easy, however it’s the results of considerate planning and behind-the-scenes coordination. The truth is, the USA Tennis Affiliation (USTA) has a task particularly carved out to handle VIP engagement and movie star expertise. Loads of stars need tickets, however not everybody will get one. Lately, the visitor checklist has develop into way more intentional.

The invitation checklist

Whereas the USTA crew plans year-round, the true surge of requests comes in the summertime.

“As soon as it hits the beginning of August, then it’s [fielding] lots of and lots of of requests,” Wight says.

These celebrities aren’t shopping for their very own passes; the crucial — and the very, crucial — aren’t paying. “The vast majority of them are invited visitors,” she says. “We have now only a few celebrities who’re truly buying tickets.”

Wight and her crew have a “finite” quantity for movie star ticket allocation. As soon as they overview the requests, it turns into a cautious sport of curation — weighing star energy, cultural relevance and timing to find out who will get in, the place they sit and learn how to benefit from their look. Particularly for the 2 greatest days of the event.

“We all know everybody needs to attend the ladies’s and males’s finals,” Wight says, which will likely be going down on Sept. 6 and Sept. 7, respectively. “We actually deal with the highest-profile names — from leisure and sports activities, to trend and tech — and we prioritize those that align with what the U.S. Open represents on a worldwide stage. … We attempt to maintain it on the highest degree that we are able to.”

These folks sit on the prime of the invite hierarchy. And the larger the identify, the later their attendance tends to get confirmed.

In 2024, that included Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, who determined to attend the lads’s ultimate simply 36 hours earlier than the occasion. They joined Patrick and Brittany Mahomes within the ESPN suite — setting off a flurry of calls, approvals and safety walk-throughs. “We attempt to maintain it below wraps however nonetheless plan photographs of their arrival and seating,” Wight says. “We all know the place everyone seems to be seated in order that broadcasters and photographers can seize them.”

The Open expertise, movie star model

For these invited or accredited with one of many USTA’s allotted tickets, the expertise begins lengthy earlier than the primary serve. Transportation is commonly organized — from black automobiles choosing up expertise round Manhattan to extra high-touch service for visitors arriving by personal jet or helicopter.

“We’ll do pickups at LaGuardia’s personal terminal,” Wight says.

As soon as on-site at Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart, VVIPs are sometimes positioned in both the President’s Suite or the Emirates Suite, two of essentially the most unique hospitality areas in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

The President’s Suite is a two-story, invite-only house with its personal personal entrance, top-shelf open bar and personal ballroom for intimate dinners. Common visitors embrace Anna Wintour, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alec Baldwin and Vera Wang.

“[It] may be most aligned to the Royal Field [at Wimbledon]. Clearly, now we have somewhat bit extra wiggle room as a result of we don’t have royals in our President’s Suite,” Wight says. “There’s a proper dinner each night that visitors can attend, there’s allotted seating. That one’s somewhat bit extra buttoned-up.”

Emirates’ hospitality suite spans practically 1,400 sq. ft and affords direct sightlines to middle court docket, unique cocktails and elevated bites. It’s one of many largest within the stadium — primarily the scale of 4 commonplace suites mixed.

“There’s a chef making ready meals for everybody, they usually’re waited on for his or her beverage companies,” Wight says. “It’s very snug and a enjoyable vibe, in fact, significantly within the night session.”

Neither suite is on the market to the general public for buy. As a substitute, they’re used to host celebrities, dignitaries and choose visitors from the USTA and its companions.

Wight says visitors are inclined to arrive early earlier than the match begins for a cocktail or keep after it ends to mingle — however all the pieces is managed quietly and discreetly.

Not each movie star leads to a field, and never each seat comes from the USTA. Nonetheless, Wight and her crew work intently with their company sponsors to ensure that if a star is coming by means of, they get the blue carpet remedy.

“Courtside is usually sponsor-based,” Wight says. “Emirates has a few seats. Generally we are able to flip folks in and [out of the suite] relying on who’s coming and who we need to have courtside.”

That’s why you would possibly spot stars like Rory McIlroy, Tom Brady, John Mulaney or Olivia Munn sitting only a few ft from the baseline — as they’ve throughout this event. Some come by means of sponsors. Others are invited by gamers. And typically, if there’s room and the identify is sufficiently big, Wight’s crew finds them a seat.

“It’s a mixture,” she says. “Gamers will attain out and say, ‘Hey, I’m coming — can I get a seat within the participant space? Can I heat up with so-and-so? Can I cease by the lounge?’ And we attempt to make it occur. They’re their buddies, in spite of everything.”

Incorporating influencers

It’s not simply Hollywood A-listers and famous person athletes filling up the Open’s visitor checklist. Lately, the USTA has additionally been increasing its attain by incorporating influencers — from magnificence creators and trend TikTokers to sports activities personalities with huge on-line followings. In keeping with the USTA, extra invites have gone to digital creators within the years for the reason that COVID pandemic, because the event seems to broaden its cultural footprint.

Some nonetheless roll their eyes at influencers getting A-list remedy, however that’s simply how the sport is performed now. The objective is straightforward: Attain new audiences within the locations they’re already scrolling.

Influencer visitors may not land within the President’s Suite or present up in a broadcast cutaway subsequent to Gigi and Bella Hadid, however their affect remains to be measurable. Blue carpet pictures, courtside selfies and Get Prepared With Me-style vlogs rack up thousands and thousands of impressions — and assist place the U.S. Open as a related, fashionable and aspirational cultural second, not only a sporting occasion.

The USTA needs folks with large on-line followings on the stadium, like Giggly Squad podcast hosts Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo, who each attended this 12 months.

On the opposite finish of the affect spectrum are the WAGs — like Dairy Boy founder Paige Lorenze and Morgan Riddle, who each have huge on-line followings and severe courtside presence. Riddle, dubbed “essentially the most well-known girl in males’s tennis,” is courting Taylor Fritz; Lorenze is engaged to Tommy Paul. Technically, they’re “inside the tennis household,” Wight says — however their potential to drive buzz (and rack up views) places them proper within the influencer combine.

“We actually need to try to lean into that as a result of they do entice new audiences that we’re attempting to develop,” she says.

You would possibly count on the influencer crowd to by chance disrupt play — snapping selfies with the flash on or filming throughout factors — however Wight says etiquette has by no means been a problem.

“They’re all fairly well-behaved, to be trustworthy,” she says.

Greater than a match

For all of the glitz and glamour, the U.S. Open remains to be, at its core, a tennis event. However in 2025, movie star tradition doesn’t simply orbit the game; it elevates it. Whether or not it’s a collection cameo from a pop icon or a TikTok creator capturing the proper tennis skirt twirl, the off-court visibility amplifies what occurs on it.

Let’s not neglect, the celebs within the stands aren’t simply there to be seen — they’re typically displaying as much as see somebody particular. With gamers like Jannik Sinner, Naomi Osaka and Carlos Alcaraz competing, many celebrities are superfans of particular person athletes and time their visits accordingly, including to the cachet.

At a serious sporting occasion the place luxurious hospitality and influencer technique now play alongside world-class tennis, one factor is evident: The U.S. Open is not only a event. It’s a seen-and-be-seen expertise.