The first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open (AO) 2024, started on a positive note, with numerous top-tier seeds winning their first matches.
While the qualifier round began on January 9, the main draws started on January 14, with finals being played on January 28.
The tournament’s ongoing edition features stars including Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Anna Blinkova, Ana Bogdan, Emma Raducanu, and more.
The Indian tennis player, Sumit Nagal started in the qualifying rounds and put up a strong show until the second round. Up until his match against the Chinese tennis star, Juncheng Shang, in RD2 the Indian prodigy had not dropped a set.
Nagal, who entered the match fresh off an impressive victory over a player ranked in the top 30, started the match in the same commanding manner. However, as the match went on, the 18-year-old wild card entrant optimised and emerged victorious with a score of 2-6 6-3 7-5 6-4.
On the other hand, Rohan Bopanna recorded his 500th career win at the Australian Open. The veteran Indian tennis player and his Australian partner, Mathew Ebden, defeated wildcards James Duckworth and Marc Polmans to advance to the second round of the men’s doubles event.
Being one of the top tennis events, the organisers have managed to obtain partnerships with a variety of brands. Let’s take a look at the sponsorship portfolio of the Australian Open 2024:
Major Partner:
KIA: Based in Seoul, South Korea, KIA is a multinational car manufacturer from South Korea. It is the second-biggest automaker in South Korea, selling more than 2.8 million cars in 2019.
Associate Partners:
Rolex: Based in Geneva, Switzerland, Rolex is a Swiss watch creator and maker. Established in London in 1905 as Wilsdorf and Davis by Hans Wilsdorf and Alfred Davis, the firm registered Rolex as the brand name for its watches in 1908 and changed its name to Rolex Watch Co. Ltd. in 1915.
Luzhou Laojiao: Luzhou Laojiao Co., which has a market value above 50 billion yuan, is among the biggest listed corporations in China’s alcohol industry. The company’s label, Luzhou Laojiao, is well-known among Chinese and Chinese immigrants living abroad and is one of the four most ancient and well-known wines in China.
Emirates: Emirates is one of the UAE’s two national flag carriers. The airline is based in Garhoud, Dubai, and is a part of The Emirates Group, which is managed by the Investment Corporation of Dubai.
Partners:
While AO has extended its partnership with brands such as Asahi, (which involves its sub-brands Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Somersby), Luckin Coffee, and Bondi Sands, it has also developed new ties with CyberCX, Louis Vuitton, and New Balance.
Moreover, brands such as ANZ, Aperol, Canadian Club, Chemist Warehouse, CHUBB Insurance, City of Melbourne, Dunlop, Infosys, Life-Space, Marriott Bonvoy, Mastercard, Pacific Blue, ABC Bullion, Penfolds, Piper-Heidsieck, Polo, SafetyCulture, Squealing Pig, Tanqueray, and Yonex are also included in this category.