American Express is building on its sponsorship of the United States Tennis Association?s U.S. Open with a new round of digital tools that help fans stay connected both at the match and from home.

American Express? sponsorship includes new features in the official U.S. Open mobile application and a partnership with ESPN on a second-screen mobile Web initiative. The U.S. Open runs through Sept. 9.

?The US Open is a world-class event, and we want to make that experience even better for our cardmembers and all tennis fans, whether they?re coming to the tournament or watching from home. This year, we have created new ways for tennis fans to join the action on the courts, both on-site at the U.S. Open and at home through new digital innovations,? said Alexander Chang, vice president of sports and entertainment marketing at American Express, New York.

?We continue to introduce digital services to enhance the spectator experience for cardmembers and fans, at the Open and across the country,? he said.

Connect on mobile
This year marks the 19th year of American Express? sponsorship for the U.S. Open.

Consumers can download the U.S. Open app for iPhone and Android devices.

The app lets users create their own itinerary, find starting times and a leaderboard and view a map of the event?s venue.

Both American Express and IBM ? the IT partner for the event ? are prominently displayed in the app.

Users can also live stream coverage during Labor Day and the final matches via the app. Highlights, press conferences and additional content is also available throughout the sports event.

The app uses push notifications to send users updated information on players and the event. The app also connects with social media to let sports fans talk about the event with friends and family.

Finally, the app streams radio content from the event with commentary from The Tennis Channel, ESPN and CBS.

Additionally, the event has a mobile site at http://usga.usopen.com/.

Second-screen companion
Sports fans can also stay in the know this year with American Express and ESPN InPlay's second-screen experience.

To participate, consumers can enter http://m.espninplay.com into their mobile browsers while watching the U.S. Open on ESPN2.

Consumers then sync their Facebook accounts to the site and enter their email address for the chance at winning prizes for playing along while watching.

Users can then follow matches from the site and see what others are saying via Facebook and Twitter.

The mobile site also includes a page with a call-to-action for American Express? program that rewards users with offers for linking their card with foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. Users can sign up for an American Express card from the site as well.

 ?At American Express, we love tennis. We know that our cardmembers love to play and watch tennis. It is important to our cardmembers, so it is important to us,? Mr. Chang said.

?We designed these to enhance the fan and spectator experience at the Open and across the country,? he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York