By Amy Tennery and Karl Plume
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Taylor Swift headlined the list of celebrities present at the U.S. Open final on Sunday, as another Taylor – Fritz – aimed to end a 21-year American men’s major drought on Arthur Ashe Stadium against Italian top seed Jannik Sinner.
Sports, television and movie stars have flocked to Flushing Meadows over the past fortnight, occupying luxury boxes and sipping on the venue’s famous $23 “Honey Deuce” cocktails and the celebrities were back in full force for Sunday’s finale.
But few stars shine brighter in American pop culture than Swift, who kicked off a spending frenzy in the NFL ticket resale market last season just by showing up to watch her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, play.
Kelce and Swift arrived hand-in-hand for the showdown between Fritz and Sinner, ignoring the first Sunday of the NFL season in favour of tennis after the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens 27-20 in their Thursday opener.
“In a tennis era,” tournament organisers wrote on social media platform X to accompany a video of the couple at Flushing Meadows. Swift has been breaking records around the world with her Eras Tour.
Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey was spotted in the crowd, wearing a red, white and blue bandana, while Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bon Jovi was also in attendance.
A day prior, Olympic gold medal sprinter Noah Lyles sat by F1 driver Lewis Hamilton and Vogue editor Anna Wintour for the women’s championship match.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York)
