IBM and the United States Tennis Association (USTA) have unveiled several new fan-centric features powered by watsonx, ahead of this year’s US Open. These updates aim to offer tennis enthusiasts around the globe a richer, more engaging experience on the US Open’s digital platforms.
"Fans want more quality content around their favorite sports and athletes, and IBM Match Reports enables us to deliver it right away for the US Open. IBM's continued partnership with the USTA, built on more than 30 years of innovation, is an example of how businesses in any sector can modernize and scale their workflows with models like Granite and AI technologies like watsonx,"said Jonathan Adashek, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications for IBM.
Last year, IBM also partnered with Wimbledon to enhance the fan experience with innovative AI-powered features to provide deeper insights and more engaging digital experiences through the Wimbledon App and website.
What do they offer?
One of the standout features is the AI-generated Match Report summaries for every men's and women's singles match, available just minutes after each match concludes. The tool leverages IBM’s watsonx AI and data platform, including the Granite 13B large language model (LLM) tailored for business applications, in conjunction with USTA’s reliable data and editorial standards.
The result is comprehensive post-match articles that analyze player performance, highlight key statistics, and summarize match highlights. These AI-generated reports are reviewed and refined by the USTA’s editorial team before being published on the US Open app and website.
The Match Reports will enhance the USTA’s editorial capabilities, allowing them to deliver timely, in-depth coverage on an unprecedented scale for all 254 main draw singles matches across seven rounds and seventeen courts.
Furthermore, IBM’s AI-powered commentary, first introduced in 2023, returns with enhancements on the US Open’s digital platforms. This enhancement provides automated English-language audio and subtitles for summary highlight videos of men's and women's singles matches.
Fans will also benefit from a fully revamped IBM SlamTracker, which provides detailed insights before, during, and after each match. This includes real-time predictions on match outcomes, point-by-point analysis, and concise match previews and recaps, all powered by IBM watsonx. Additionally, live matches will now feature a near real-time 3D graphic of the current play.
"One of the key goals of the US Open Digital Platforms is to provide fans worldwide with comprehensive coverage of all the action taking place during the three weeks of the tournament. AI Match Reports enables us to efficiently deliver concise, factual match previews and reports for over 150 matches to fans across our platforms. The efficiency of providing this content at scale allows our editorial teams to focus on other storylines and interviews ensuring we can provide the most comprehensive coverage possible," said Brian Ryerson, Sr. Director of Digital Strategy at the USTA.
