Tennis was once again an inescapable theme for virtually all New York events, as tennis stars made appearances in Tribeca, Midtown East and West and beyond. And tennis loving New Yorkers seemed more excited about the sport hero sightings than ever. Early in the night, Jay Fielden and Men’s Vogue hosted an event for James Blake to benefit the Thomas Blake Sr. Memorial Research Fund at Greenwich hotel. Musician John Mayer, Blake's former high school classmate from Fairfield, Conn., came by to show his support and Blake seemed to be consciously excited about being surrounded by all the editors.

Chefs and tennis stars may not seem like logical partners, but they’re a winning match at BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis. First launched in New York in 2000, the annual charity event has grown from 12 pairs to 22 two-person teams – one chef, one pro player in each, including Ingrid Hoffmann, host of the Food Network cooking show Simply Delicioso, and racket master Andy Roddick – who work together to prepare signature tasting dished for attendees. When creating the duos, event organizer and founder Penny Lerner does her best to couple the players and chefs according to their culinary background and interests.

NEW YORK -- Several high-profile New York chefs, including John DeLucie of The Waverly Inn and Gotham Bar and Grill's Alfred Portale, recently teamed up with top tennis players to support the New York Food Bank at the ninth annual Taste of Tennis, a U.S. Open pretournament charitable event held at the W Hotel here.

It's a simple idea: Pair 18 top New York chefs with 18 of the world's top tennis players, in town for the U.S. Open. Ticket holders to tonight annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis simply walk the tables, eating and greeting with top-seeded players like Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Jelena Jankovic, and a group of star-studded chefs that include Alfred Portales of Gotham Bar and Grill and John DeLucie (The Waverly Inn).