US Open: USTA Launches Fortnite, Gwoop, and Animated Series to Reach Gen Z and Alpha

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US Open x Tennis Clash
Picture by USTA / US Open

NEW YORK — The United States Tennis Association (USTA) unveiled a massive expansion of its gaming and digital entertainment strategy surrounding the 2026 US Open. Designed to engage younger, digital-native audiences across the platforms they already use, the multi-channel initiative brings tennis into classrooms, the metaverse, console gaming, and animated streaming.

Building on a stellar 2025 campaign that reached 20 million players across Roblox, Tennis Clash, and Fortnite, the USTA’s 2026 suite introduces year-round virtual hubs, educational partnerships, and an animated YouTube series.

“Younger fans are discovering sports in so many different ways today, and we want tennis to be part of that,” said Brian Ryerson, Senior Director of Digital Strategy at the USTA. “For someone who has never watched a full tennis match or picked up a racquet, their first connection to the US Open could be through Fortnite, Tiebreak or one of these other experiences. If that gets them interested in the sport… that’s a win for us.”

Taking Tennis to the Classroom with Gwoop

In an unprecedented move to engage students, the USTA has partnered with educational gaming platform Gwoop, which reaches more than 25 million students monthly during the school year.

Together, they launched US Open Serve Speed, a gamified experience allowing students to clock virtual serve speeds, practice bimanual coordination, and compete on classroom leaderboards without needing physical equipment or prior tennis experience. Following a soft launch ahead of the back-to-school season, the game generated over 2.5 million unique players and 5.3 million total sessions in its first four days alone.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│               GWOOP 'SERVE SPEED' EARLY TRACTION                │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ • Launch Window: Pre-Back-to-School 2026                        │
│ • Initial 4-Day Unique Players: 2.5 Million+                    │
│ • Initial 4-Day Total Sessions: 5.3 Million+                    │
│ • Total Monthly Platform Reach: ~25 Million Students            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Unlike temporary event tie-ins, Serve Speed will remain integrated into Gwoop’s platform throughout the entire academic year to foster sustained interest in tennis.

Multi-Platform Gaming: Fortnite, Tiebreak, Roblox & Tennis Clash

The USTA is simultaneously expanding its presence across major mobile, console, PC, and metaverse environments:

  • Fortnite Year-Round Expansion: Building on its popular Minigame Box PVP experience, the US Open debuts Ultimate Tennis Storm, bringing fast-paced competitive tennis elements into Fortnite. For the first time, this island will remain active year-round through the 2027 US Open.
  • Tiebreak Tennis Debut: The tournament officially joins the roster of Grand Slam venues featured in Tiebreak Tennis across major consoles and PC. The Summer 2026 update features a fully rendered Arthur Ashe Stadium, over 129 licensed ATP and WTA players, and brand integrations with Ralph Lauren across virtual court signage and match coin tosses.
  • Roblox – Champions of the Court: Returning with an expanded virtual world, players can climb leaderboards using in-game power-ups. The experience features custom activations, including Cadillac character arrivals, Mount Sinai health boosters, and a La Roche-Posay “Play Against the Sun” challenge offering exclusive digital cosmetics like the Solarflare Cape.
  • Tennis Clash: The tournament renews its partnership with the world’s leading mobile tennis title, following a 2025 campaign that drew over 5 million players.

Debut of ‘The Adventures with Ace & Rally’ Animated Series

To introduce sports fundamentals to children before they reach gaming ages, the USTA and production company Beyond Sports are launching a six-episode animated short series titled The Adventures with Ace & Rally.

Debuting August 23 on YouTube Kids, the 3-minute episodes feature animated hosts Ace and Rally breaking down tennis concepts in fun, digestible formats:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           'THE ADVENTURES WITH ACE & RALLY' SCHEDULE            │
├──────────────┬──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Date         │ Episode Topic                                    │
├──────────────┼──────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Aug 23       │ Intro to Ace & Rally / The US Open               │
│ Aug 30       │ Getting Started / Why Tennis Balls Are Fuzzy     │
│ Sept 11      │ Why the Court is Blue / How Line Calls Work      │
│ Sept 18      │ How Tennis Scoring Works                         │
│ Sept 25      │ Groundstrokes & Trick Shots                      │
│ Oct 2        │ US Open Recap & Celebrating Champions            │
└──────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

By connecting classroom gaming, metaverse ecosystems, console simulations, and early-childhood entertainment, the USTA is establishing a permanent, year-round pipeline designed to turn digital engagement into lifelong fandom.

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