With Naomi Osaka set to hit the court today for her first matchup of this year’s Australian Open in Melbourne, she still had time to delve into her other passions; technology.
“I’ve been on the ground today exploring what the Australian Open has to offer beyond the tennis. The Breakthrough Room has definitely been a highlight, I loved Challenge One, where my team and I had to solve the puzzle through Mastercard’s Sonic sound. I’ll confess, I did need to use two clues, so I’m looking forward to seeing who scores the fastest time and asking them how they did it,” said Naomi Osaka, Japanese tennis player and winner of the 2019 Australian Open.
Releasing today, Naomi gave us a sneak peek of the immersive pop-up game, ‘The Breakthrough Room’, a futuristic journey into the world of Mastercard payments that Australian Open goers can play in the attempt to win a luxurious prize.
“The game takes consumers on a fun and futuristic journey through the world of technology payments and the technology that goes into making every tap seamless,” said Rich Wormald, Division President, Australasia, Mastercard.
Challenging teams will start by choosing a team name and collecting a device that is used to make payments and provide clues for the three ensuing challenges.
Challenge #1
Teams must arrange audio pieces in the right order to produce the Mastercard Sonic melody. When the challenge is complete, the chime will sound.
Challenge #2
Teams must build a token by choosing the correct puzzle pieces available to them on the touch-sensitive wall. The token protects the team’s method of payment.
Challenge #3
The team must then use the clues to find and buy courtside tickets (one of the prizes on offer)
Tennis, performance, recovery and fan experience continue to evolve thanks to tech and innovation. Technology is a huge passion of mine, and I really put that passion to the test today at Mastercard’s Breakthrough Room,” added Naomi.
Naomi set the bar quite high finishing the challenge in just 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Teams will have to try and beat that time if they want to win the prize of Reserve Tickets to the AO21 men’s finals, as well as flights and accommodation in a five-star hotel.
Technology and tennis are my two big passions, so I was feeling pretty confident going into the Breakthrough Room. It’s a little harder than it looks, but I had a lot of fun! Good luck to everyone who takes on the challenge,” said Naomi
Australian Open attendees can attempt the challenge at the Mastercard Innovation Hub, Melbourne Park Sports and Entertainment, with it being available until the second of February open to tennis-lovers from 10 am to 7 pm.
You can also follow Naomi Osaka’s Australian Open journey here
