US Open Gets Into the Dating Game With Reality Series

NEW YORK — Last week, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) made an unexpected announcement. The US Open, one of the sport's four Grand Slam tournaments, will be inserting itself into the saturated world of reality-show dating.

- Alisha Haridasani Gupta

The announcement raised a few eyebrows and set off widespread online chatter that is best encapsulated on Instagram by women's professional player Donna Vekic, who said: "Wait what?"

According to a statement from the USTA, the tournament will host its own reality series, set at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre in Queens. The eight-episode series, called Game, Set, Matchmaker, will be filmed the week before the Aug 24-Sept 7 tournament. It will air on YouTube during the event.

The bachelorette at the centre of the series is Ilana Sedaka, a "tennis-savvy" 24-year-old former figure-skating champion and pilates teacher, who was born and raised in Long Island and now lives in Miami.

She will be matched with seven men, and will go on dates that will include playing games and exploring the tennis centre. A contestant will be sent home at the end of each episode.