On Monday, September 6, The Knockturnal was invited to check out a very exciting US Open match by official sponsor IHG Hotels & Resorts.
The buzzy match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, Queens was headlined by the number one player in the world Novak Djokovic and emerging talent American player Jenson Brooksby. 20-year-old Brooksby was a wild card entry into the tournament and is currently ranked 99th. IHG offered their VIP guests rides to and from their Kimpton Hotel Eventi in New York City.
The Kimpon is currently hosting an epic tennis installation inside a room at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi. The room features sports-inspired design, from a tennis racket-chandelier to tennis ball furniture and larger-than-life 3D wall art. Throughout the US Open IHG has invited guests to the room, where an Epic ambassador delivers snacks and specialty cocktails, as they watch the match, hang out with friends, and take some Insta-worthy photos.
When we arrived at the US Open the energy was palpable and it was a very full house. It was also a beautiful day for an open air match / event in general! Thanks to being in a suite we got expedited check in! On the grounds of the US Open there were many shops and installations. We visited IHG’s Lemon Bar x Kimpton lounge and then we headed up to the suite. IHG’s team were very warm and welcoming.
In 2019, IHG Hotels & Resorts, and the United States Tennis Association (USTA), announced its multi-year partnership, naming IHG as the official hotel and hotel loyalty partner for the US Open Tennis Championships. IHG has a vast number of properties worldwide including 17 brands and nearly 6,000 global destinations. IHG has more than 40 hotels in New York City alone, and IHG Rewards members can enjoy the benefits of IHG’s partnership with USTA.
We were offered refreshing cocktails and a fabulous buffet style dinner which consisted of pesto pasta with mozzarella, macaroni and cheese, fruit salad, sandwiches, corn salad and so much more. Our favorite part was dessert, though! Suite guests enjoyed chewy chocolate chip cookies, brownies, macarons and strawberry shortcake!
Brooksby put up a good fight and for a moment, it seemed like he could actually win. Novak came back with a bang, though. The final scores were: 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 and 6-2. In a post game interview, Novak described the crowd as “electric.” He continued, “I enjoyed it, I truly did, you guys gave both of the players today a lot energy.” He said that Brooksby is a very young and talented player with a bright future ahead of him. “It wasn’t a great start for me obviously, Jensen was pumped, he had a better game plan, he was executing all the shots very efficiently.” Novak said that all in all it was a very physical battle with exhausting rallies. He praised Brooksy again stating, “credit to him for his performance tonight, it was fantastic … America has a bright future in tennis!”
We spotted tennis great Billie Jean King in the suite above us and designer Cynthia Rowley was also in attendance! At the very end Novak also hit three autographed balls into the crowd!
The 2021 US Open Tennis Championship will run to September 12! Thanks again to IHG for the invite!
