A Serious Tennis Fan’s Top 10 Tips for the 2024 US Open (Tickets and More)


By P.J. Simmons


WHAT IS A GOOD DEAL? I created this new chart “2024 US Open Ticket Prices: How to Spot a Good Deal” based on average resale pricing information with shortcuts to the Ticketmaster links for specific dates/sessions/stadiums. Hope you find it helpful!
NEW “EVENING” GROUNDS ADMISSION TICKETS: For the first time, the US Open is selling separate EVENING Grounds Passes for “7pm” on the official Ticketmaster site (presumably allowing access at 7pm and NOT at 6pm, when evening session reserved ticketholders will be able to access the grounds). Note: these passes will not allow access to Ashe (where every seat is reserved) — and more night fans will add more pressure to the first-come unreserved seating in Armstrong, Grandstand and outer courts. I have not updated various charts in my post to reflect this yet.
As a serious tennis player and fan living in New York City, I feel so lucky that the US Open is in my backyard. I absolutely love the tournament, and find nothing more educational and inspiring for my own game than seeing world-class live tennis. I can’t wait to return to the 2024 US Open tennis tournament, which will take place at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Monday August 26- Sunday September 8, 2024!
2024 will mark my 16th consecutive US Open, and I’ve learned a ton over the years through trial and error about how to maximize the opportunity, find the best tickets and seats on the Official US Open ticket site on Ticketmaster and other reseller sites, and generally get the biggest bang for the buck. Likewise, I’ve learned so much thanks to fellow fans around the world who have shared their own insights since I wrote the first version of this post over a decade ago.
Below are my top 10 recommendations for serious tennis fans like me.
In a rush and need quick answers?
I recommend reading/skimming the entire post in order if you can, but if you’re rushed here are shortcuts to my answers to the most common questions I’ve received over the years:
- Which ticket sites are best? Note: always check Ticketmaster first and click on the “map” view to get the best initial birdseye view of what’s available (standard and resale tix), then compare with other reseller sites like Stubhub.
- Should I buy tickets now or wait? Will ticket prices go up or down?
- What are average ticket prices? What should I expect to pay??
- How can I be guaranteed to see Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff, Arena Sabalenka or any other favorite player? Note: Rafael Nadal announced on August 8 he will not play in the 2024 US Open.
- Can you explain the ticket options, I’m overwhelmed!
- What time can I enter grounds with a Day or Night Session ticket?
- What kind of matches (and how many) can I expect to see on certain days (in Ashe, Armstrong, Grandstand, etc)?
- Which seats have the best view?
- Which seats get the most shade?
- How should I get there (subway, LIRR, car, parking?)
Tip #1: Do whatever you can to see world-class players and great matches up really close— which if you’re on a budget may mean bypassing Arthur Ashe stadium in favor of the sixteen other courts where matches are played.

Me spotted on Netflix “Break Point” series cheering on Taylor Fritz and Brandon Holt (yes, I was rooting for both) at the 2022 US Open – front row during awesome match at GRANDSTAND Stadium (not Ashe!)
For my first US Open, I spent about $250 per ticket for a decent seat during early rounds in the famous Arthur Ashe stadium (1/2 way up in the Loge section) so I’d be guaranteed to see at least one Top 10 player live. While it was certainly thrilling to experience the electricity of an evening at Ashe stadium, I still felt somewhat distant from the action (it’s a mammoth 23,700-seat venue) and spent much of the time watching the match on the huge video screen. Moreover, because the tournament prioritizes putting the biggest stars on Ashe over the best match-ups, the matches I saw weren’t terribly exciting.
Since then, I’ve become addicted to the unparalleled thrill of seeing many world-class competitors from a few feet away in epic duels on several of the smaller non-Ashe courts (Louis Armstrong Stadium, Grandstand Stadium (behind courts 4-6), the very cool Court #17, and other courts #4-#16). Once you have this experience you’ll be addicted too. While it’s rare that you’ll see the Top 5 players on those courts, you WILL see other awe-inspiring players in very competitive matches.
A collateral benefit: you’ll be ahead of the curve in seeing rising stars the likes of Coco Gauff before they become household names, and feel the excitement of “discovering” new talent to cheer for. I’ll never forget the first time I saw Milos Raonic blast a tournament record 145 MPH serve from the first row of the old Grandstand. Or, in more recent years, when I saw then “next-gen” players up very close for the first time before they were super famous — like Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys, Dominic Thiem, Sasha Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Karen Khachanov, Borna Ćorić. In 2019, I had the thrill of watching the young Felix Auger-Aliassime v. fellow Canadian Denis Shapovalov from the front row in Grandstand. In 2021, I was blown away watching Lloyd Harris for the first time from the second row of Armstrong and know tons of fellow fanatics who had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing rising superstars Jenson Brooksby, Leylah Fernandez and Carlos Alcaraz up close on the outer courts.
Tip for serious players: After watching a ton of pro matches, I started challenging myself to watch more deliberately from the perspective of a player who wants to improve. I wrote down ten ideas for watching a pro match that may resonate with fellow fanatics who not only want to enjoy the drama of the match but also learn from it.
(Adapted from photo in “US Open Transformation Update”)
Tip #2: If you’re on a tight budget, try to attend during the tournament’s first week (Monday August 26- Friday August 30) and purchase relatively inexpensive Ashe DAY session tickets.
An Ashe day session ticket will get you access to all the courts on the grounds in addition to Ashe during the day, then enable you to stay on the grounds to watch matches on all courts except Ashe in the evening (Ashe day/night sessions are sold separately). You’ll get hours and hours of tennis watching for your money, as many matches on the outer courts will go well into the evening. And if you can take a day off from work and go during these first 5 days, you won’t have to battle hordes of fans for access to the non-Ashe venues– whereas things get very crowded Labor Day weekend.
Tip #3: Do NOT buy a “Grounds Admission” pass to save money until you’ve explored whether reserved day session seats in Ashe or Armstrong are also available for around the same price!
Grounds admission tickets (cheaper tickets sold on the tourney’s first 8 days that give access to all the courts except Ashe) can be a good deal, but there are often reserved Ashe Promenade-level tickets (and, occasionally, Armstrong courtside seats) available for nearly identical prices– making them far better deals. Ashe and Armstrong Day Session tickets gives you all the privileges of a “Grounds” pass with added bonuses. In particular, buying an Ashe or Armstrong reserved seat gives you rain insurance, because these stadiums both have roofs so matches cannot be rained out.
Tip #4: Go for quality over quantity.
As a general rule, I encourage fellow fans to budget their time and money in ways that maximize the possibility of a few magical experiences versus a ton of forgettable ones. For instance, if you’re opting between multiple days of cheap nosebleed seats in Ashe’s Upper Promenade versus appying the same budget towards excellent seats for a couple sessions, I generally recommend the latter. (Note: if you’re wondering whether it’s worth it to spend a bit more to sit in the Loge level of Ashe versus the Promenade level, my answer is always yes).
BOX #1: UNDERSTANDING YOUR TICKET OPTIONS & HOW THE SCHEDULE WORKS
See US Open Official Ticket Site for all sessions above organized by stadium.
See Daily Schedule of Play for day-by-day schedule
FAQ: What Matches Can I Expect on Each Court?
To get a sense of what types of matches are played on which courts for specific dates, I recommend reviewing the recent year’s schedules for the specific day(s) you’re considering attending:
–> See Full 2023 US Open Daily Schedules (All Days, All Courts)
–> 2022 Daily Schedule of Play
The US Open will likely release the 2024 Tournament’s Day 1 and Day 2 Schedule on its Daily Schedule of Play page and the US Open app on Friday August 23 (start checking mid-day, usually released late afternoon/early evening).
CLICK HERE FOR A DETAILED DAY-BY-DAY BREAKDOWN OF THE US OPEN SCHEDULE
2024 US OPEN SCHEDULE
“FAN WEEK” (FREE – See Tip #10 for details)
- Aug 20-23 (Tuesday-Friday): Qualifying Tournament. 128 male and female players compete for the final 32 spots (16 each for men and women) in the singles draws.
- Aug 24 (Saturday): Kid’s Day
- Aug 25 (Sunday): Grounds open, practice day
MAIN TOURNAMENT
- Aug 26-27 (Monday-Tuesday): Men’s & Women’s 1st Round * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe & Armstrong * Monday Aug 26 Ashe Evening session features short Opening Night Ceremony prior to regular matches
- Aug 28-29 (Wed-Thursday): Men’s & Women’s 2nd Round * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe & Armstrong + Doubles 1st Round (outer courts)
- Aug 30-31 (Friday-Saturday): Men’s & Women’s 3rd Round * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe & Armstrong + Doubles 2nd Round, Juniors (outer courts)
- Sep 1 (Sunday): Men’s & Women’s 4th Round (“Round of 16″) * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe * Day session ONLY on Armstrong (11am) * Note: In 2019, Armstrong and Grandstand both featured one men’s singles R16 match (others on Ashe) + Doubles 3rd Round, Juniors (outer courts)
- Sep 2 (Monday): Men’s & Women’s 4th Round (“Round of 16″) Note: Men’s Round of 16 Singles matches on this day will be played exclusively on Ashe and Armstrong, not Grandstand! * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe * Day session ONLY on Armstrong (11am) + Doubles 3rd Round, Juniors (outer courts)
- Sep 3 (Tuesday): Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals (Ashe Stadium only) * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe + Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals (Armstrong) * Armstrong and Grandstand only feature Doubles matches from this point on, so don’t purchase Armstrong reserved tickets for September 7 unless you want to see Doubles.
- Sep 4 (Wednesday): Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals (Ashe Stadium) * Separate Day (11am) & Night (7pm) sessions on Ashe + Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals (Armstrong)
- Sep 5 DAY (Thursday): FREE DAY SESSION ENTRY (Community Day) ** Free grounds access to watch Juniors, WC, and Men’s Doubles Semifinals (in 2024 was on Armstrong at 4pm) plus Mixed Doubles Final (in 2024 was on Ashe at 3pm). Gates open 11:00am, matches start at Noon.
- + Wheelchair and Junior matches
- Sep 5 EVENING (Thursday at 7pm): Women’s Semifinals (Ashe Stadium) * Ashe Evening Session ticket gets access to both women’s Semifinal matches
- Sep 6 DAY (Friday): Men’s Semifinal #1 (Ashe Stadium 3:00pm), preceded by Women’s Doubles Final (Noon). Note: The Men’s Semis take place over two separate sessions (1 Day, 1 Night)– so if you want to see both matches, you need to purchase tickets for both the Day and Evening sessions. Wheelchair and Junior matches (outer courts). Gates open 11:00am.
- Sep 6 EVENING (Friday 7pm): Men’s Semifinal #2 (Ashe Stadium)
- Sep 7 DAY ONLY (Saturday): Women’s Final (4:00pm) * Preceded by Men’s Doubles Final (Noon) (There is only one Ashe Day ticket option and it covers BOTH matches, and you can enter grounds at 11:00am). + Junior and Wheelchair finals beginning at Noon.
- Sep 8 DAY ONLY (Sunday): Men’s Final (2:00pm). Gates open at 11:00am.
Here is the ESPN Broadcast schedule (updated link to come)
Entry and re-entry rules:
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- Any DAY session stadium reserved ticket for Ashe, Armstrong, or Grandstand gives you the same exact privileges as a Grounds Pass: You can enter the grounds as early as 9:30am (or 11am on Finals weekend) and stay on the grounds as late into the evening as you want. However, your Day session reserved seat in Ashe, Armstrong, or Grandstand only entitles you to those reserved seats for the Day session matches (then you have to exit your seats) — after which you can stay on the US Open grounds as late as you want and access general unreserved seating on every court (except Ashe, which has no unreserved seating).
- To enter the US Open grounds, you must pass through security then have your ticket scanned at either the EAST GATE or SOUTH GATE (see map above).
- If you have a reserved seat in a stadium, you’ll have your ticket re-checked upon entering that stadium.
- If you have tickets for Day and Evening sessions (Ashe or Armstrong) on the same day, you will NOT need to exit the US Open grounds and re-enter again. Your ticket will be checked as you enter the stadium.
- If you are in Armstrong for the Day session (either Courtside reserved or GA seating), you’ll need to leave your seat between Day and Evening sessions as they clean up. However, you may stay inside the concourse area of Armstrong (the inner-stadium areas with food stands).
** I took the photo above at the 2016 US Open from a corner courtside seat in Ashe watching the Nadal-Pouille round of 16 match on Labor Day.
Tip #5: If your budget can swing it, I strongly recommend getting a courtside reserved seat in Louis Armstrong stadium (especially between Aug 28 – Sep 2) and/or in Grandstand (especially on Aug 30 or Aug 31).
Louis Armstrong (14,053 seats) and Grandstand (8,125 seats) are the other two main show courts after Ashe Stadium – and they offer a much more intimate experience. A reserved courtside ticket for either can give you access to thrilling matches and players up close that you’ll never forget.
The first time I did this in 2010 I saw an unforgettable marathon slugfest between David Ferrer and Fernando Verdasco from the FIRST ROW BASELINE! I had arrived that morning at 11am and left around 11:30pm at night, leaving my seat only twice for a total of about 9 minutes for rapid-fire bathroom breaks and to grab snacks so I wouldn’t want to miss a second of the action. Ever since, I’ve made it an annual tradition to go with friends to Armstrong during the 3d Round or Round of 16. In 2019, I got to see 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini crushing balls in the Round of 16 on Armstrong from the second row (and my phone exploded with texts when my friends and I were spotted on ESPN frequently cheering for him). I’ve had similar transporting experiences in Grandstand over the years – most recently when I sat first row behind-the-server for a match between Auger-Aliassime and his Canadian buddy Denis Shapovalov.
Both stadiums also feature general admission seating on a first-come basis, but getting good GA seats can be tough and involve long lines for the higher-profile matches — so having a reserved courtside ticket gives you the dual benefit of skipping long lines plus plus incredible proximity to the players.
BOX 2: WHERE TO GET THE BEST DEAL ON US OPEN TICKETS? SHOULD I BUY NOW OR LATER?
Individual ticket sales are now available on the official US Open Ticketmaster site, as well as on reseller sites like Stubhub. My most important advice: DO NOT PANIC and rush into a decision!
The frustrating reality is that the ticket availability you see today may be different tomorrow — and the ticket situation will continue to evolve over the summer because (1) USTA/Ticketmaster use “dynamic pricing” on face-value “standard” tickets in response to fluctuations in supply and demand; 2) the tournament holds back on releasing all the tickets initially, and tends to trickle more out in the weeks/months that follow (however frustrating, I’ve learned this is fairly common practice for event ticketing); (3) more and more people put tickets up for resale on Ticketmaster and elsewhere, which can sometimes drive down average resale prices as sellers compete to unload their tickets. Without knowing better, too many first-time buyers panic without knowing that a little research and patience can yield better options.
THE GOOD NEWS IS: if you’re willing to exercise patience and do a little work, there are almost always good deals to be found throughout the summer – right up until the actual day of matches! This is because:
- (1) Increasing numbers of sellers post their tickets for resale throughout the summer, and sellers competing for buyers often lower prices as we get closer to the start of the US Open;
- (2) USTA ends up releasing more standard price tickets as the summer goes on (inexplicably, at random times). I have on many (many!) occasions found better seats on the resale market for around the same price (sometimes even less) as standard no-fee seats. For example: in 2022 on Ticketmaster for the Day 1 Ashe DAY session there was a FRONT ROW Loge Resale ticket available for $281 ($327 with fees), while a Standard ticket in the third row of the adjacent section was going for $347 ($372 with fees) – see this screenshot (from August 17 2022).
Before buying, I recommend reading this entire post carefully to understand all the available options, explore the resale market to get a sense of average for sessions/seats that interest you, and prioritize what’s most important to you… THEN you’ll be in the best position to get the best seats and experience for your budget.
Below are the sites that will give you access to the BEST INVENTORY of available tickets (both face-value and resale). Before buying, be sure to compare options and prices.When searching, try sorting by price, section, row… Take your time, get a good sense of what the prevailing price for what you want, and when you spot a good deal, grab it!
1. ALWAYS (!) first check the official Ticketmaster US Open tennis tournament site. I strongly recommend looking on a computer/web browser for fastest navigation and the best options for viewing availability (be sure to use the “map view” of individual seats by clicking on any individual section, try sorting lists in different ways, and use multiple browser tabs to compare across various sessions).
- This site features both (1) any standard tickets (non-resale, face value) that may be available (shown as “blue dots” on the detailed seat map for each session – most often only in Promenade, but occasionally pop up in Loge and Courtside sections throughout the summer); and (2) resale tickets (shows as “red dots” on the detailed seat map for each session).
- Surprisingly, resale tickets (red dots) can often be the best value: resellers often lower their prices to around or below face value as they compete with other resellers to attract buyers.
- Tickets remain on sale for 59 minutes after a session begins as long as tickets remain (e.g., if an Ashe Day session begins at Noon, tickets remain on sale until 12:59pm). For Men’s Semi’s in 2019, Ticketmaster kept sales open for standard seats only another 3 hours beyond that (which were in most cases about double the cost of what was available on the resale market).
- Both Ticketmaster and Stubhub make it very easy to put your tickets back up for sale if your plans change or you decide you want to switch days or tickets later.
- You must have a US bank account to put your tickets up for resale on Ticketmaster.
2. Scan my NEW 2024 chart outlining my best guesses for what is a “good deal” (including fees) for every session/ticket type at the 2024 US Open.
3. In addition to Ticketmaster, it often pays to check StubHub or other reseller sites like those below to see if you can find an even better deal for comparable seats. If you search on both the official US Open Ticketmaster site PLUS one of the sites below to compare, you’ll get tremendous visibility into what’s available and the range of prices on the resale market. Many of these sites also keep selling tickets after a session begins for several hours (versus Ticketmaster, which stops selling 59 minutes after the session begins).
CAUTION: Only purchase resale tickets that are clearly labeled with SECTION, ROW, and SEAT numbers that match up with the Stadium Maps I include in this post; if something appears questionable or too good to be true, it probably is. Also only buy tickets available for MOBILE TRANSFER. You should receive them promptly, and be sure to double-check the tickets you receive correspond to what was advertised. If you don’t, contact the reseller and ask for a refund. While rare, there’s always a handful of unscrupulous sellers who label tickets inaccurately to make them more appealing. Stubhub and other reputable resellers will refund your purchase if you purchase a ticket that has been misrepresented (e.g. the seller delivers a ticket in a different section than advertised) – but then it will be up to you to find another ticket.
- Beyond Ticketmaster, Stubhub is my main source to check for any other deals, as it usually has the largest inventory of resale tickets.
- Other sites I’ve never had an issue with include TicketCity, VividSeats, Viagogo, SeatGeek, or Ticket Liquidator.
- WARNING: DO NOT PURCHASE FROM TickPick. I personally have had two awful experiences: sellers reneged on promised tickets, Tickpick customer service was abysmal, and they were unable to produce replacement tickets.
4. Check out the exact location of individual seats for tickets in each stadium before buying them. Learn how and see seating charts and shade maps here.
5. Do not buy off Craigslist or classified sites!
I’ve heard tons of stories over the years of folks who got scammed or had to go through considerable hassle to obtain tickets. Not worth the risk. Also know that NYC law prohibits reselling “scalping” 1500 feet away from the venue (which is effectively everywhere off the subway at the US Open), and they have undercover police on site cracking down on both sellers and buyers.
6. If you’re going with a friend(s), consider buying a combination of cheap and amazing seats.
This way, you can split the cost and trade off time in the great seat. E.g., you could trade time in seats in Promenade vs Courtside, or between stadiums (in Ashe vs a reserved seat in Armstrong or Grandstand). I do this every year with my best friends. This is a bit more challenging given evolving e-ticket technologies, and may require meeting up and trading phones – but it can be worth it.
Note: all tickets (including through Ticketmaster) are offered as MOBILE ONLY tickets (i.e., “Your Phone is Your Ticket”) – which requires having a smart phone with internet/wifi capability or downloading into your electronic wallet.
- If you do not have a smart phone (either iPhone or Android) and you purchase through Ticketmaster, they WILL help you – but you’ll have to contact their customer service directly and have them make an exception and transfer your tickets to “Will Call” pick up location on site. If you don’t own a smart phone and are purchasing resale tickets during the tournament, I’d recommend buying exclusively through Ticketmaster and not taking chances with other resellers.
- Questions? See US Open’s detailed instructions (with screenshots) on how to access and manage your mobile tickets.
Finally, if you want to explore package deals (combining tickets with optional hotel, transportation, VIP perks, etc), there are several trusted options including Championship Tennis Tours, Grand Slam Tennis Tours, and Steve Furgal’s International Tennis Tours.
Tip #6: If you’ve never done it, consider splurging once on a courtside Ashe seat — if possible after the 2nd round of play when matches start getting more competitive.
After dreaming for years of the possibility, I finally bit the bullet to invest in courtside seats in 2011 for the first time. It was bliss. Ever since, I’ve made an annual pilgrimage to experience Courtside with a few close friends at least once. What most people don’t understand about the mammoth Ashe stadium until they’ve been in person is that even Loge seating is fairly high up because (a) the stadium is very vertically oriented (seating is on a sharp incline) and (b) there are two levels of suites above Courtside before the first row of Loge even begins. So when you’re down in Courtside, you feel like you’re in another world. The feeling of being that close to greatness in Ashe’s electric atmosphere is pretty amazing. If going for a courtside seat, keep in mind that Row E is first row in sections 1-6, 31-40, 65-67; and Row F is first row in sections 7,9,11, 26, 29, 30, 60 63, 64, 41, 42. If courtside is out of your budget, aim for lower Loge rows A-C when possible.
Here’s a video I shot of Federer from the front row in 2011, the very first time I sat courtside at Ashe. I found a great deal on a resale ticket (baseline section 58) for Labor Day during the Round of 16 and got to witness Federer perfection from a few feet away. Best money I’ve ever spent.
BOX 3: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are the questions I get most often, along with important stuff I wish I had known myself before buying tickets the first time…
FAQ #1: How can I predict when (and on which court) Nadal, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev, Gauff, Sabalenka, Swiatek or my other favorite player will play? Will they play Day or Night Sessions?
As of August 22, we now know that players in the BOTTOM HALVES of the men’s and women’s draws will play beginning on Day 1 (then again on Day 3, 5, 7, and 9 if they advance), and players in the TOP HALVES will play beginning on Day 2 (then again on Day 4, 6, 8, and 10 if they advance). See this new chart here summarizing which top-seeded players will play on which days.
HOWEVER, there’s never any sure way to predict whether players will be scheduled for DAY or NIGHT sessions. Officials try to spread the wealth and be fair to players by alternating players between Day and Night sessions. Contrary to popular belief, they do not always schedule the biggest stars at night. The one exception to this is Quarterfinals, when biggest stars (or most anticipated match-ups) are usually scheduled for the night sessions.
One thing you can count on is for the US Open schedulers to defy crowd predictions ever year, with decisions that resist generalizations. Many a fan has been heartbroken after spending a lot of money on expensive seats based on erroneous predictions. Case in point from the 2020 and 2019 US Open tournaments:
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- In 2020, Serena’s 1st Round match (on Day 2) was a DAYsession; 2d Round match (Day 4) NIGHT session; 3d Round match (on Day 6) DAY session; 4th Round match (on Day 8) DAY session again; Quarterfinals (Day 10) — a DAY session yet again!
- In 2019, Serena’s 1st Round match (on Day 1) was a NIGHTsession; 2d Round (Day 3) NIGHT session; 3d Round (Day 5) DAY session; 4th Round (Day 7) DAY session again; Quarterfinals (Day 9) NIGHT session
- Also in 2019, Djokovic was scheduled for 3 consecutive Ashe Night sessionsand Federer for 3 consecutive Ashe Day sessions (Days 3, 5, and 7).
To be absolutely sure you see your favorite player, consider waiting until the schedule is published the day prior (start checking frequently early afternoon, usually out by 5:00pm), then immediately go to the official Ticketmaster US Open page (or other resale sites like Stubhub) to grab a resale ticket. This strategy requires, however, that you monitor the ticket situation closely in the days prior and are prepared to act immediately when the schedule is announced. Also, if you see tickets becoming scarce and prices going up in the days prior, you may conclude it’s worth taking a chance and purchasing based on an educated guess.
One sure way to see your favorite player up close is to watch them when they’re scheduled for practice on the practice courts. See Tip #9
To see real examples of what kinds of matches get scheduled on which courts for specific days, look at previous years’ schedules:
–> Full 2023 US Open Daily Schedules (All Days, All Courts)
–> 2022 Daily Schedule of Play
LEARN HOW TO MAKE EDUCATED GUESSES ABOUT WHO PLAYS WHEN/WHERE
On the THURSDAY before the main tournament begins (August 22, 2024), the “Draw” is revealed: Singles players (128 men and 128 women) are split into two equal “Halves” of a “Men’s Singles Draw” and “Women’s Singles Draw,” each half of which will play on alternating days through quarterfinals (Day 1-10). The #1 and #2 seeds (based on ATP and WTA rankings) are placed in opposite halves of the draw (so they will play on different days). The #3 and #4 seeds are also placed in opposite halves of the draw and in different quarters from the #1 and #2 seeds. Spots for winners of the Qualifier Tournament will be indicated as “Qualifier.”
- Once the US Open announces which halves of the draw will play on Day 1 versus Day 2 (which they do on the Thursday or Friday before the main tournament begins) you CAN then predict the DATES your favorite players will be scheduled through quarterfinals: Players scheduled on Day 1 will play again on Day 3, 5, 7, and 9 if they advance; players scheduled on Day 2 will play again on Day 4, 6, 8, and 10 if they advance.
- Only the biggest superstars (like Serena and Rafa) are sure to be scheduled on Ashe – others might be scheduled on Armstrong, Grandstand, or field courts. Schedulers have been known to put even the #1-ranked player in the world on Armstrong or Grandstand, as they did in 2021 with then #1 Simona Halep during Round 1 (on Grandstand) and then #2 Aryna Sabalenka (Armstrong). See my chart (click to enlarge) for illustrative examples of who has been scheduled on which courts.
- There’s never any sure way to predict whether players will be scheduled for DAY or NIGHT sessions. Officials try to spread the wealth and be fair to players by alternating players between Day and Night sessions. Contrary to popular belief, they do not always schedule the biggest stars at night. The one exception to this is Quarterfinals, when biggest stars are usually scheduled for the night sessions.
FYI: A fun way to get your head around the draw/brackets — and potential match-ups — is to enter the official US Open “Million-Dollar Bracket” contest. Each submission that correctly picks all 127 matches in the men’s singles bracket will share from a prize pool of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000). It’s also a great way to become more familiar with some players you may not have heard of yet but probably will soon.
FAQ #2: How do a see the exact location of seats that I might buy (in Ashe, Armstrong, or Grandstand)?
- Go to Ticketmaster, click on any session for the stadium in question, choose Map View, then mouse over or click on any of the dots to see the exact section, row and seat #.
- See all the seating charts below
- Note that for Ashe Courtside seats, each lettered “row” (e.g. “A” or “H”) actually stands for two rows: e.g., “Row A Seat 5” might actually be in the second row, Row C Seat 6 is probably 6th row). Courtside Sections 48-49, 52-63 and 66-67 go actually have two rows of “AA” seats followed by rows A-H.
- Also take note of where the umpire sits (you’ll see a little chair icon on each map — and avoid courtside tickets very close up in sections right behind or next to the chair (please note: the umpire chair is never a big obstruction, but it might be a minor annoyance to some).
- To make matters more complicated… first row for Behind-the-Server seats Courtside begin with E or F: Row E is first row in sections 1-6, 31-40, 65-67; and Row F is first row in sections 7,9,11, 26, 29, 30, 60 63, 64, 41, 42.
- In short, check out the detailed Seat Map on Ticketmaster view before buying to see the exact location.
KEY SEATING CHARTS AND SHADE MAPS
Arthur Ashe Stadium
- Arthur Ashe Seating Chart (view from above)
- Official Ashe Stadium Seating Chart
- My annotated Ashe Stadium SHADE map
- Ashe “Iteractive Seat Viewer” to give you a sense of what view is like from specific seats – which from my experience tends to make seats look like they’re closer than they actually feel when you’re there, but helpful nonetheless.
Louis Armstrong Stadium
- Louis Armstrong Stadium Seating Chart (Official)
- Louis Armstrong Chart (with my annotations)
- Armstrong Interactive “View from Seat” Map
- My annotated Armstrong Stadium SHADE map
Grandstand
FAQ #3: When should I buy? Will prices go up or down? Will sessions sell out if I wait too long? What are average prices? What’s a “good deal”?
The frustrating reality is: “it depends.” Buying tickets for the US Open can be like investing in the stock market: knowledge and judgment dramatically raises the odds of a good decision, but there are always surprises due to the number of variables involved. Standard (non-resale) Ashe tickets usually sell out fairly quickly (except for Ashe stadium’s “Promenade” section, where there are usually quite a few available throughout the summer). However, there are almost always resale tickets available until the very last moment because thousands of fans post their tickets for resale. You can almost always get tickets closer to the tournament – and you may end up finding a phenomenal deal if you are patient. However, waiting longer to purchase requires you to have a higher risk tolerance than those who’d prefer the certainty around making arrangements sooner. Resale ticket prices can vary significantly, especially closer to the tournament. Prices can plummet when lineups are predicted to be lackluster… or they can skyrocket if fans speculate that certain marquee players (like Federer) will be scheduled. In 2017, after it became clear that both Federer and Nadal would be scheduled on the same days throughout the tournament, prices spiked sharply for the days they’d be scheduled if they advanced and dropped significantly for the opposite days. Then, after Federer got knocked out in quarters, prices for semis and finals declined quite a bit. The best advice I can give is to familiarize yourself with average prices on Ticketmaster for the days/sessions you are considering over the course of several days so you can recognize a good deal when you see one and spot the trends.
This year, prices are shockingly high across the board. Tennis is having a moment, thanks in large part to the massive popularity of the likes of new young players, particularly Carlos Alcaraz and Coco Gauff!
Here’s my NEW chart (updated July 2024) that outlines my best guesses for what I’d consider a “good deal” (including fees) for each session/ticket type. The estimates are based on this year’s average resale market prices and my tracking of the past two years’ pricing trends for both standard and resale tickets. Please use it only as a rough guide – but hopefully it will be a helpful starting point to gauge expectations as you explore and make the right decisions for you.
FAQ #4: Which seats get the most shade?
For Ashe: The roof creates a massive amount of natural shading all day for a large number of seats. The sections that get the most shade are in the South and West sections of the stadium; Next-best for shade are in the North. Sections with the most sun (to avoid for Day sessions) are on the East side. Click on the photo/map below for details. For the new Armstrong: Situation is similar to Ashe, now that there’s a roof. In short, Sections 1-8 are best for shade. West-side sections (Chair Umpire side) get the most shade; and when not in shade, at least the sun is at your back. Rows K and above (approximately) are shaded soonest (by about 12:30pm), then the sun gradually moves down to cover all rows by about 2:00 pm. East-side sections get the least shade and are in direct sun most of the afternoon. However, Rows T and above (approximately) get shading all day. South sections (behind-the-server) get more shade than North sections: South sections start out almost entirely shaded until about 1pm, then the sun starts wrapping around clockwise, such that sections 17-18 end up losing shade mid-afternoon. See photo/map below. For Grandstand: There’s much less shade overall, however South and West sections are similarly better because sun is more at your back. General admission seats that are higher under the overhang, especially Southwest corner, get the most shade.
FAQ #5: What happens if it rains?
The good news: Now that both Arthur Ashe and the new Louis Armstrong stadiums have roofs, now up to 37,771 more fans each day will be able to see matches even if it rains. The bad news: if you invest in great seats for Grandstand or simply buy a Grounds Admission pass, there isn’t much consolation. Keep in mind that weather forecasts are notoriously unreliable and can change on the hour (I have literally been at Flushing Meadows when my iPhone said it was raining and it wasn’t). There’s always hope that showers will pass quickly. In the highly unlikely event of all-day rain out or under 60 minutes of play (which happened to me unforgettably in 2012 on the day I treated 6 friends to pricy Armstrong front row seats), the session may be rescheduled until the next day and your ticket may be honored then — or, you MAY be able to trade in tickets through the US Open for another session this year or next year if (and only if) you purchased directly from Ticketmaster (see the somewhat complicated US Open Inclement Weather Policy). In the worst case scenario, I recommend looking for the silver lining: you’ll be surrounded by a ton of other fans with whom you can grab a US Open specialty cocktail, huddle under a shelter, and watch an Ashe match together on a big screen.
FAQ #6: Should I buy a subscription or multi-session ticket plan?
For most serious fans, I don’t recommend it. Most multi-session plans for Ashe (and first-time subscription plans) for are only for “Promenade” seats — so high up in that huge stadium you’ll end up watching a lot of the match on the Jumbotron or through binoculars. It could take years to get the chance to upgrade your seats to Loge (only available if you purchase the very expensive full-series plan). For the full series ticket plan price (well over $2,000 each) you could buy several amazing seats for multiple sessions over the tournament (or 2 excellent seats for the Men’s final). Finally, there is always a glut of Promenade Ashe seats on the resale market, so if you buy an entire series of Promenade seats you may have a challenge reselling any you don’t need.
FAQ #7: Which are the best sections/seats with the best views?
The vast majority of people would consider “behind the server” seats (i.e., those on North or South ends of the courts) to be preferable — and prices generally reflect this. For first-timers, this area would be my top recommendation.
- This is the vantage point they use for filming for broadcast, because it enables you to follow point construction and see the court from the perspective of the player on your side of the net.
- From these seats, you’ll never have to move your head side-to-side to follow the ball.
- FYI: seats in these sections start several feet higher in these seats than sections on the side (this is why these rows begin with higher letters E instead of AA or A).
- Here’s a photo of the perspective from higher up seats in the new Armstrong. Here’s another photo from Ashe courtside front row.
Corner sections are also widely considered to be highly desirable — and for good reason. They carry many of the same advantages of the above, with the added benefit you can see the player on your side of the net from the front as their hitting the ball not just the back. Here’s a photo from the new Armstrong from that perspective.
As a serious player myself, I personally love sitting courtside as close as possible in lower rows of sections where seats are practically on the court, perpendicular and near to the actual baseline (e.g., section 58 in Ashe) because it gets me physically even closer to the players and more on the same level. Sitting in the lower rows, I feel even more like I’m on the court with them. I feel the speed of the game. In these seats, I personally enjoy watching one player at a time sometimes to see their footwork, how they prepare for the next ball, etc. I took the video of Federer I included in my post from this perspective (from section 58). Here’s a photo from Ashe courtside from that perspective.
When considering Loge or Promenade seats in Ashe, I generally recommend prioritizing seats that are in lower rows regardless of location— simply because Loge (and especially Promenade) are already quite high up to begin with. For Day sessions, I strongly urge folks to factor in potential shade benefits (seats on West side, SouthWest, and Northwest tend to get the most shade relief). See FAQ #4 above. With regard to the umpire chair, it really is never an obstruction but may feel a bit of an annoyance to some if you’re sitting in very low rows on that side — simply because you may not always have a complete view of the player on the other side of the net. See this photo for example. I personally don’t mind this for reasons I mention above, and this is ONLY an issue when courtside in very low rows.
Tip #7: The night before you go
Check the app or click this link for the detailed daily Schedule of Play for the following day’s schedule and make your game plan so you can beeline directly to the court where the match you care about will happen (including, potentially, the practice courts– see Tip #8 below). You should also download the official US Open Everywhere App (search on app stores for “2024 US Open Tennis”) to track the latest schedule, scores and live updates. If someone you really want to see will play on Grandstand or Armstrong, get to the grounds as early as you can so you can be among the first in line when the gates open at 9:30am then speed-walk to those stadiums and grab the best seat you can. Check out the day-to-day coverage at SI.com’s tennis page, which is always terrific.
Tip #8: Check out the practice courts for close sightings of the superstars
Check the practice schedule the night before (and morning of) to see when/where players are practicing (you can also see it on the official US Open App).
Note: the best time to see top players practice without fighting crowds is during the free Qualifier Tournament and week before the main tournament (see my Tip #10 below).
Tip #9: Do not drive unless you really have to. Especially if the Mets have a home game.
Option 1: Take the subway #7 train (see 7 train schedule here, runs 24 hours, PM times in bold, see stops here, which include Grand Central). Note: you no longer need a MetroCards for the NY subway– you can simply TAP YOUR PHONE AT THE TURNSTILE if you are set up for tap-and-pay..
Option 2: (FASTEST, only 15 min from Midtown NYC): Take the LONG ISLAND RAILROAD (LIRR), which departs from Penn Station from the new “Moynihan Train Hall” (entrance on 8th Avenue between West 31st-33rd, directly across from Penn Station). to the “Mets-Willets Point” station (the signage will say either “GREAT NECK” or “PORT WASHINGTON” – double check the train number before boarding). Look for the “Port Washington” train on the monitors to find the right track. IMPORTANT: The LIRR stop at Mets-Willets is NOT accessible for fans with disabilities — so anyone with disabilities should exit the LIRR at Woodside/61st Street Station then transfer to the 7 train (or just take the 7 train to Mets-Willets Point Station).
- To purchase LIRR tickets:
- Download the very easy-to-use NEW MTA TrainTime App. Within the app, click “Trips”, then at the top fill in From “Penn Station” and To “Mets-Willets Point” then see all the upcoming train options. Click the train you want and select “Buy” and it will show options for one-way or R/T. Ticket(s) will then be in your “wallet” in the app for you to use whenever you like; you just have to press “activate” right before you board your train of choice.
- Alternatively, you can also buy a ticket at Penn Station in the Moynihan Hall using an ATM-like ticket machine (or at the window). But the app is way easier.
- For return trips from the Open, you’ll need to show your ticket at the US Open’s LIRR entrance (top of the ramp near the East Gate) — the individuals checking tickets can also sell you a one-way return ticket if you need and you can use a credit card (tip: you do NOT need to line up at the ticket window!!).
- Here is the 2024 LIRR schedule until September 2 (Labor Day)
- Here is the 2024 LIRR schedule from September 3 until the end of the tournament
- If you fly into Laguardia (LGA) you can take the NYC “Q48” public bus from Laguardia to the US Open (the stop is listed on the MTA website as “ROOSEVELT AV/WILLETS PT BL STATION.” LGA is very close to the US Open grounds, but the bus trip could take around 30 minutes.
If you must go by car…
- See the US Open’s driving directions and details on parking lots.
- On any of the dates below when Mets are playing home games, be sure to reserve a parking spot here. I can’t recommend this more strongly.
- Monday, Sep 2 2024
- Tuesday, Sep 3 2024
- Wednesday, Sep 4 2024
- Friday, Sep 6 2024
- Saturday, Sep 7 2024
- Sunday, Sep 8 2024
- Recommend putting in GPS “Citi Field” to get you to the general area – if parking isn’t available at Citi Field, there should be traffic cops around to redirect you
- US Open recommends using “Grand Central Parkway exit 9E or Whitestone Expressway (678) Exit 13D.”
- You’ll see signs and be directed to available public parking ($25 for cars).
- Citi Field will be the primary lot (“Yellow Zone” parking) except when the Mets are playing at Home (see the Mets home schedule). On those dates, according to the US Open you’ll be “directed to guest parking lots 1-6” (which the map confusingly labels as A-H– sorry I can’t provide any more clarification on this!).
- If you must drive on a day the Mets are playing, ARRIVE AS EARLY AS YOU CAN – like around 8:30am if possible – to avoid major hassles.
- The entrance to Citi Field parking is located at 126th Street and Shea Road, Corona, NY. GPS address to that intersection is “126 Roosevelt Ave, Flushing, NY 11368.
- Consider buying a parking pass on Stubhub to lots A, B, or C (which are closest). Here’s the detailed transportation map showing parking lots.
- Fellow fan Harry pointed out: “If you are willing to walk a bit, street parking underneath or south of Highway 495 is a viable option.”
- Uber/Lyft/Taxi TO the Open:
- You can have the driver put in “Billie Jean King National Tennis Center” if you want to have them drop you near the SOUTH GATE. If you’re aiming for the EAST GATE, try putting in “Mets-Willets Point” as the destination – this will take you directly to the spot on Roosevelt Avenue where the 7 train lets people off, then you can just walk up the stars and across the foot bridge to the East Gate. But that option MAY not be available if they are blocking off traffic, which they occasionally do.
- If considering a taxi or Uber/Lyft home after a night session, be prepared for a long wait, hassles, and a very (very) expensive ride with surge pricing. Getting an Uber/Lyft after an evening session when literally thousands of others are trying to do the same can be a nightmare. I tried it in 2016 as an experiment and here’s what happened: (1) Had to go to designated “zone 3” pickup area for cabs and users– a long walk from the South Gate near the globe (trying to meet them by the 7 train at Roosevelt is really tough given heavy traffic); (2) three Uber drivers cancelled on me after accepting before I finally get one; (3) Surge pricing was in effect, with a ride that should have cost $45 being quoted over $120.
- If you must hire a car back home after a night session, you might try the following instead:
- (1) Reserve a car service pickup in advance. I’ve used Riverside and they’re always reliable (and they have an app as well) – but you can find many other car services in NY if you Google.
- (2) Take the LIRR or 7 subway train into Manhattan (or to another local stop like “Junction Blvd”), then call Uber or a hail a cab
- (3) Try to hail a cab on the street just under the 7 train (Roosevelt Ave); or download the “Curb” app for NYC taxis and hail one that way from that location.
- If you’re lucky enough to be driving a Cadillac to the Open, you’ll get complimentary parking (Cadillac replaced Mercedes-Benz in 2022 as a major sponsor)
Alternatively, consider staying in Queens and biking! Fellow fan Mark shared his experience in 2019: “We packed our bikes and stayed at a nice AirB&B on Queens Boulevard, a little over 2 miles from the stadium. Queens has a great network of dedicated bike lanes and a friendly attitude toward bikers, and best of all – the terrain is flat! Once at the grounds, there are bike racks across from the South Gate entrance and in front of the security tent that handles baggage claim. It is a fun and hassle-free way to make the commute for anyone that so inclined!”
Tip #10: Take advantage of these amazing FREE opportunities to see incredible players up close:
- AUG 20-25 FREE “Fan Week“: If you’re a serious fan, don’t miss the FREE qualifying tournament Tuesday August 20- Friday August 23, the week before the main tournament begins. 128 of the world’s best male and female players (whose ATP and WTA rankings were just shy of qualifying automatically for the US Open) will compete for the final 32 spots (16 each for men and women) in the singles draws. Last year’s US Open women’s singles champion Emma Raducanu became the first in history to win a major after playing in the qualifiers – a reminder this is an amazing opportunity to see major rising players! It’s also a great opportunity to see top-seeded players on practice courts.. Read why Fan Week/Qualies are so special in this excellent piece by Steven Kutz.
- Gates open at 10:00am. You must arrive before 5:00pm to enter.
- Qualifier Tournament matches start at 11:00am
- Official practices (of main draw players) start earlier. However, fans won’t have access to any player practices scheduled before 10:00am, For practices on Ashe, you need to register for a Fan Access Pass to access practices in Ashe (which you can do via the app).
- To understand how players qualify to play in the US Open and why qualifiers matter, see this explanation by Laurence Shanet
- Watch top seeds (including Federer) practicing during this entire “Fan Week. Check the practice schedule here (also available on the app) the day before/ morning of to see when your favorites are scheduled to practice.
- Click here to register for a “Fan Access Pass,” which gives you certain perks (including access to special preferred seating for some practice sessions). Note: the Fan Pass check-in is located by the East Gate on the left.
- FRI AUG 23:
- US Open Media Day at 11am ET on Ashe Stadium, with players answering questions. Fans must register for the event via Fan Pass.
- SAT AUG 24: “Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day:” (9:30am – 4:00pm) If you have kids, this is a great day to go– lots of interactive games, music, and activities.
- SAT-SUN AUG 24-25: Go see top players practicing up close by taking advantage of free access to the US Open grounds the day before the main tournament begins to watch practice sessions – it’s one of the best-kept secrets that the grounds are open to the public all day.
Box 4: What to Bring and What NOT to bring (Backpacks not allowed!)
Be sure to review this list of prohibited items before going!
To help clarify some common confusions:
- You CAN bring a drawstring bag (click here for example) but NOT a backpack with two straps
- You CAN bring a digital camera with video capabilities (however they do NOT allow “Video cameras or recording devices”, which includes GoPros)
- You CAN bring a plastic or metal water bottle 24 oz or less to refill on site (but NOT anything glass!)
- You CAN bring a fanny pack: but if you do you’ll still need to go through the “with bag” security line
- You CAN bring sunscreen in lotion form only, NOT aerosol cans
- As of 2022 according to the US Open bot on the website: “Outside food or beverages (excluding alcohol) CAN be brought into the US Open grounds, but must fit into one sized bag. There are no exceptions.”
- There is storage outside both East and South Gate entrances if you need it: $10 per locker, $20 for large items including suitcases). Bag check for American Express cardholders is discounted (1 bag per card).
Be prepared to wait in a potentially long security line if you have any bag at all (i.e. an enclosed object that doesn’t fit in your clothes), whereas you can breeze through a separate express line for those without bags.
Before Leaving, Don’t Forget…
- Download your mobile tickets from to your mobile wallet (e.g. Apple Wallet or something like WalletPasses on Android)
- Sunglasses and sunscreen (lotion not spray)! If you forget, La Roche offers free samples just inside the EAST gate entrance.
- A backup phone charger (e.g. a Mophie) if you have one – although there are Chase-sponsored free chargers on site.
- A lightweight white towel to protect exposed skin from sun or to sit on when in unreserved seats, which can get hot and uncomfortable.
- Reusable plastic water bottle (to refill using any of the many water fountains). Evian is $6 for a small so bring your own!
- If taking subway (7 train), fill up your subway Metrocard in advance for your return trip in advance if taking 7 train so you don’t have to wait in long lines; If taking LIRR (my favorite) you need to get your ticket before boarding
- A small umbrella if rain may be in the forecast
- Dress in layers as it can get hot during the day and occasionally chilly at night
- Contacts wearers: A very small bottle of contact lens solution in case you get something in your eye
- FYI: There are two entrances to the grounds: (1) the main entrance, the “East Gate,” located near the Subway/LIRR; and (2) the “South Gate” entrance near the iconic World’s Fair “Unisphere” (globe) – see map above. While lines tend to be shorter by the South Gate, the wait may end up being about the same because there are fewer attendants and metal detectors.
Box 5: FREE ADMISSION ON SECOND THURSDAY (September 5)!
DOUBLES SEMIFINALS (Men’s & Women’s) Plus the World’s Top Wheelchair, Junior, and Collegiate Players
Gates open at 11:00 AM
One of the best-kept secrets is that you can usually enter the US Open grounds for free on the second Thursday (gates open at noon, must arrive before 5pm) and see the Doubles Semifinals plus all-star wheelchair players, the world’s top juniors, and incredible collegiate players.
If you are a serious tennis fan, particularly if you’re a doubles player, this is a day not to be missed.
Among the world-class wheelchair players to watch for:
- Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid, who in 2021 completed the Grand Slam for the first time in wheelchair tennis history.
- The world’s #1 in the “Quad” (quadriplegic) division (ranked #1 in singles and doubles), American David Wagner. Born in 1974, David became paralyzed from the mid-chest down at age 21 when he was playing frisbee on the beach and a wave tossed him head-first into the sand. With only thirty percent function in his hands, David plays by taping the tennis racket to his hand. And by all accounts he’s a super cool guy besides being an extraordinary athlete .
A FEW MORE RECS
- I agree with every word of “Here’s How to Have the Best Time at the U.S. Open: Tips, Tricks and Transportation“ by the brilliant Sports Illustrated writer Jon Wertheim. Note: if you haven’t yet seen Wertheim’s 2018 Strokes of Genius documentary on the Federer/Nadal rivalry, RENT IT! It’s one of the best documentaries on anything I’ve ever seen, beautifully capturing so many of the unique aspects of tennis that make us so passionate about our sport.
- Bring a backup phone charger if you have one. However, there are several re-charging stations, but after all the photos and video you take with your phone and use of Wi-Fi you’ll run out of juice quickly.
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FOOD: There are a bunch of options on site, but they aren’t cheap! See my chart outlining examples of the food stands by area on the grounds.
- This PDF includes several menus from past Food Village stands. Every year there are some new additions and substitutions, but many of these will still be around in 2025.
- Korilla BBQ is one of my favorites, but lines are usually among the longest.
- Poke Yachty is absolutely delicious and lines move quickly because they’ve nailed their system.
- Oyster Bar behind Grandstand has killer ceviches and lobster rolls.
- Hill Country BBQ, Curry Kitchen, Fish Shack and Fly Fish are also delicious.
- Restaurants in Queens not on the grounds
- Need an affordable hotel room? Fellow tennis fanatic Melissa maintains a great list of hotels appealing to all budgets, starting at $25 per night.
- AMERICAN EXPRESS CARDHOLDERS: Bring your Amex card if you have one! See full Amex Benefits at US Open here. Perks from 2024 likely to be repeated in 2025:
- (1) Amex Card Member Lounge on the 2d Level of the Amex “Fan Experience” (where anyone can also play a “Glow Tennis” mixed reality interactive game and get a complimentary manicure with tennis themed nail art).
- (2) Centurion Suite in Armstrong (Exclusive to Platinum and Centurion Members). Book in advance on Resy
- (3) Book complimentary court time in NYC area at over 500 tennis and pickleball courts and unlock special access to peak reservation times when using your Amex.
- (4) Check your bag for a reduced fee at East or South Gate
- (5) Get a one-time $20 statement credit when you spend $100 with your enrolled card at participating US Open merchants
- (6) Get a free earpiece/radio to hear ESPN match commentary
- (7) Skip lines and grab concession items quickly (checkout-free shopping) at the Amex Shop in South Plaza .
- CHASE CUSTOMERS? Check this Chase site for updates on perks for 2025.
- Click here to make a reservation to access the “Chase Lounge”
- Other past perks have included offering cool video+mobile “Chase Charge & Watch” chargers
- Sign up for the “Fan Pass” on the app to be entered into a sweepstakes and track your activity on site. Scan your personal barcode at various stations around the event to collect “badges,” which can redeem for prizes.
- Do your shopping for US Open gear early in the tournament – stores run out of the popular sizes fast.
- $25 Grounds Admission tickets will be available for Finals Weekend (Fri-Sun Sep 6-8) on this Ticketmaster page. Note: these grounds ticket options are not yet showing up on main Ticketmaster pages displaying the other stadium ticket options. You can’t access Ashe with these tickets, but you can walk the grounds, see juniors and wheelchair finals, and watch Ashe matches on the big screens.
FINAL TIP: “PAY IT FORWARD” WHEN YOU CAN!!
If you have the opportunity, consider performing a random act of kindness for fellow fans during the tournament. Our tennis community is big, but relatively speaking, it’s small… Our passion for our sport is infectious; do something kind for someone today, they’re likely to pay it forward. Last year, a reader emailed me saying he had an emergency and couldn’t go to the tournament but had amazing New Grandstand seats – he asked if I knew anyone that would really value them for free so they didn’t go to waste. I was able to share with a fanatic who’s in town on a budget, who as you can imagine was elated. In past years, I’ve gifted a lot of tickets myself – and it always feels wonderful. It takes seconds to “transfer” tickets from Ticketmaster/Ticketmaster Exchange to others simply by putting in an email address.
BOX 6 (INDEX): OUTLINE OF COMMON QUESTIONS AND IMPORTANT LINKS
This post has gotten long over the years to include many more details, so I’ve created the outline below with shortcuts to help you find what you need more quickly. Click below for shortcut links to key topics and FAQs I get most often:
CLICK HERE FOR OUTLINE OF COMMON QUESTIONS AND KEY LINKS
WHERE TO BUY TICKETS: How to Get the Best Deal? Which sites can I trust?
- Where to get the best deals on tickets? See Box #2
- Read my full advice for getting best deals on tickets (Box 2)
- What are reliable ticket sites?
- Ticketmaster – Official site – always check first then compare options on reseller sites. It also includes most resale tickets from the official Ticketmaster Exchange (resale tickets are shown as red dots on seat maps, standard non-resale tickets are blue dots)
- Official US Open Ticket Exchange (Official reseller site – also check this site for comparison purposes as it includes ALL verified resale tickets on the exchange. Confusingly, there are some verified resale tickets here that don’t show up on the main Ticketmaster site because they may not be available for immediate delivery– which is why it’s worth checking in addition to the main Ticketmaster site.
- You may want to see if you can spot any other exceptional deals on Stubhub, SeatGeek, Ticket Liquidator, or other resellers.
WHEN SHOULD I BUY? WILL PRICES GO UP OR DOWN?? What are average prices?
- When should I buy my tickets– now or closer?
- Will sessions sell out if I wait too long?
- Will prices go down or up?
- Should I buy a subscription ticket plan?
- How can I recognize a good deal?
- What are average prices?
- (NEW posted July 23, 2021): See my Chart listing 2021 prices for standard (non-resale) tickets as a point of reference to what may be a “good deal,” noting that sometimes better resale seats are available for the same or less than standard prices.
I WANT TO SEE SERENA AND RAFA! Which tickets should I buy?
- How can I be sure to see Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal (or Novak Djokovic, Sasha Zverev, Naomi Osaka, Sloane Stephens, etc)? See FAQ #1
- Can I predict when my favorite player will play on a specific day or night? See FAQ #1
- How does the draw influence when players are scheduled? Do rankings affect the draw?
WHAT TIME CAN I ENTER WITH A DAY OR NIGHT SESSION TICKET (and how long can I stay)?
- Once you enter the Grounds of the US Open (through the East or South Gate), you can stay as long as you want and access non-reserved seating in any stadium (except Ashe, the only stadium where every seat is reserved and requires a ticket).
- If you enter with a Day session ticket, you can stay on grounds all night and access unreserved seating in any all stadiums (except Ashe), including Armstrong general admission seating for night matches on first-come basis.
- If you have a day and evening ticket the same day, you will NOT need to exit the US Open grounds and re-enter again
- If you have both Day and Evening session for Ashe on the same day, you will need to exit and reenter Ashe Stadium (they clear the entire stadium between Day and Evening sessions)
- If you were in Armstrong for the Day session (either Courtside reserved or GA seating), you will need to leave your seat between Day and Evening sessions (as they clean up). However, you may stay inside the concourse area of Armstrong (the inner-stadium areas with food stands).
- See Box #1 (Ticket Options Explained)
WHICH SEATS ARE BEST? BEST VIEW? SHADE?
- Which sections have the best view?
- “How do a see the exact location of seats that I might buy?
- Related: See my annotated Seating charts (including some shade maps) for all stadiums (including New Armstrong)
- “Which seats get the most shade?“
- Related: Annotated Ashe Stadium SHADE map
- Related: Annotated Armstrong Stadium SHADE map
CAN I BRING AN SLR CAMERA, BACKPACK, FOOD, WATER BOTTLE, ETC?
- Can I bring…
- An SLR camera with video capability? YES
- A plastic water bottle? YES, just not glass bottles – and they must be 24 oz or less. They can be plastic or metal.
- A backpack? NO, but you can bring a drawstring bag
- Food? YES, in “limited quantities” (they don’t define limited). “No sealed packages of any kind”
- See Red Box #4 above (“What to Bring and Not to Bring”) and review official list of prohibited items here
DAILY SCHEDULE OF PLAY/ PRACTICE SCHEDULE
- 2024 Tournament Schedule – See my “Schedule at a Glance” in Box #1 (note: official tournament schedule is here but more vague)
- 2024 Daily Schedule of Play – Note: The schedule for Day 1 (and possibly Day 2 too) is released on the Friday (or sometimes even on the Thursday) before the main tournament begins.
- 2024 Practice schedule
MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BRACKETS
- See full Men’s Draw (bracket) and Women’s Draw (bracket)
- I prefer the more easy-to-read ESPN version of Men’s Bracket and ESPN version of Women’s Bracket
WHAT IF IT RAINS?
TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS? SUBWAY OR CAR OR LIRR?
- See Tip #9 above
- 7 train subway schedule
- 2019 LIRR special schedule for 2019 US Open through September 2
- 2019 special schedule for 2019 US Open September 2-8
- Detailed transportation map showing parking lots
- Q488 bus from Laguardia Airport (5 min away)
HOTELS?
US OPEN POLICIES, RULES, AND OFFICIAL GUIDE
GOT A QUESTION OR COMMENT?
Please submit below and I”ll reply ASAP (although it may take some time before I can reply before I can given my demanding real job!)
P.J.
PJ! The information in your post is terrific and I find myself continually referring back. We’re travelling from the west coast of Canada and hoping to attend on Friday the 31st and Monday the 3rd for the day sessions and thinking of purchasing tickets on Friday for Armstrong and Monday for the Grandstand. Should I be rethinking this and buying a cheap upper level ticket on Friday for Ashe? Our plan is to try and move around the grounds on Friday and spend most of Monday watching the matches lined up on Grandstand. Trying to maximize our tennis budget! A… Read more »
Hey Brett, many many thanks! My recommendation would actually be (if your budget permits) a cheap Ashe seat Friday (and plan to spend a lot of time in Grandstand that day when lines aren’t as bad as they will be Sat-Mon); plus an Armstrong reserved on Monday, when there is sure to be a good round of 16 match on (and a roof in case it rains!). Monday Grandstand will largely be doubles matches, so if that’s a priority then I would say cheap Ashe Fri and Grandstand Mon. Hope that helps! PJ
Hi, PJ, I am curious as to why there’s a rather dramatic price increase for the night matches. I am specifically comparing prices for the quarterfinals on 9/4 and 9/5. Tickets for Day on 9/4 are in the neighborhood of $195 for the upper loge or $65 for upper level. But the nighttime tickets are going for $250 and $100 for those same seats. This trend is repeated on 9/5. Daytime tickets are going for $195 in Loge and $65 upper deck. Night session is going for $310 loge and $100 upper deck. Same seats but the price differences are… Read more »
Hi Tom, thank you! So there’s no easy explanation, I think it’s a few things. 1) it’s easier for folks during week to go evening when they have to work daytime; 2) there’s simply a prestige factor to evening sessions, under the big lights of Ashe. There isn’t any sure pattern of superstars v non-superstars for night sessions; the organizers really do try to be fair to the players. That said, when they can be fair and have the choice, they tend to put the most camera-friendly matches in evening. For Ashe sessions beginning Tues second week, there are dramatically… Read more »
Hi Pj.
Calling from Denmark!
My daughter and I are going to the US Open for the first time.
Can we ask you to comment on our plans just in case, we have missed some of your golden advice:-)
We are going on Thursday 6th to see womens semifinals and to see the doubles.
There is free admission this day, we hope?
We intend to buy and Ashe ticket for the evening in loge section 108 – 112 or 126-130. It will cost us between $300-400 for each ticket?
We will certainly appreciate your comments.
Kindly regards.
Lissy Noergaard
Denmark
Hi Lissy, yes! Unless they make an unexpected change, it’s always free admission that day and no crowds – one of the best kept secrets. For 400 per seat you should be able to get around Row B Loge that night… see eg section 103 Row B on Ticketmaster for example. Take your time to find something great! PJ
Hi PJ, Firstly, I’d just like to say thanks for writing this post. I managed to secure quarter finals tickets for a day and evening session with your help, so thank you very much. We’re traveling in from the UK and this is our very first US Open experience, so obviously very excited about that! Secondly, what is the best way of getting to and from Flushing Meadows from Manhattan other than the Subway? I have heard mixed reviews about the Subways, but I’m happy to explore all options. Any help you or anyone on this feed could provide would… Read more »
Hi Sara, thanks! See my Tip #9 above for all I know. I always take the LIRR myself. PJ
Sorry! I totally missed that. Thank you! 🙂
Sure thing! PJ
Hi Pj!
I have a tough question for you my friend!
When do you think is the best time to buy tickets?
Right now, july, august, few days before?
I have so much difficulties taking a decision and I need your advice!
Thanks for everything!
Salut encore! So, it depends a lot on your goals and which days/sessions you’re trying for. Can you give me a little more detail? P.J.
I actually have the same question as Charles-Oliver. 🙂 I am searching for loge tickets on Ashe for most sessions between Sun 2 Sept and Wed 5 Sept. Considering to buy some resale tickets now, but also considering waiting… I have finally ordered airline tickets though, so no way back! Petter (thanks for all the help so far!)
Hi again! There really will be many tickets available in the weeks ahead through August, with more people posting tickets for resale all the time. So my advice is that if you don’t see something you like in your price range, keep looking at least a couple more weeks as new tickets pop up. At a certain point, you will feel very confident that you’ve spotted a good deal once you become familiar with average prices for the sessions you’re exploring. P.J.
Hi sir, I have a question, i’m looking for a pair of tickets on ticketmaster, what is the difference between a standard ticket (less expensive) and a verified resale ticket (more expensive).
Thanks alot.
Hi there, Standard tickets are those sold directly by the tournament (exclusively through Ticketmaster) and carry a very low service fee. Resale tickets are those sold by individuals (or companies) who already bought tickets (often, these are subscribers who pay for the same seat for the entire tournament) and either can’t attend or want to try to make a profit. Resale tickets are usually more expensive because (1) sellers are trying to make money and (2) they carry higher service fees. However, resale tickets sometimes are less expensive than standard tickets, because some resellers can’t use their tickets and are… Read more »
Hi P.J.! Firstly just wanted to echo everyone’s thanks for this post – it is so unbelievably useful for someone like me who is looking to go to the US Open for the first time. I’m particularly unprepared for resale strategies etc. as my five years at Wimbledon have been spent camping in the famous queue for Centre Court tickets as opposed to relying on online sales! I’m luckily going to be studying abroad in NYC from August 24th (perfect timing!) but just wanted some quick advice. 1) I would absolutely love to experience the atmosphere of the Men’s Final… Read more »
Katie, thank you very very much! Glad you’ll be here studying in the city – it’s a crazy, but truly awesome place. (1) Yes, I think it’s worth just being at the Men’s Final even if in Upper Promenade. The atmosphere is always electric then with so much at stake. While I do urge folks to avoid Promenade whenever their budget allows, I also think it’s a super fun experience during high-stakes matches. Do check all the sites I’ve listed above though to sit in the lowest row you can afford – it’s really worth comparison shopping. There’s no huge… Read more »
Hi again, P.J. Are you really sure that e-ticket at the exchange mean physical paper tickets? It seems strange to call it e-tickets if that is the case 🙂 Petter
Hey Petter, “instant e-tickets” are same as “mobile’ tickets: both are electronic and only accessible on a smart phone. They are NOT paper/printed tickets. P.J.
Ah, ok, so e-tickets (not instant) are also safe to buy even though I live in Norway? They will be sent by e-mail? I just find it a bit strange that the seats are not assigned for the regular e-tickets.. Pette
Hey Petter, if there isn’t an assigned seat that is a red flag. Do not purchase any ticket that doesn’t have a clearly assigned Section and Row and Seat number. (It might give Section and Row and seat range (e.g. Seats 5-8), which is ok; but not OK if that information is missing. It’s ok if it doesn’t say “instant.” Mobile/e-tickets mean someone has the ability to transfer ownership of the ticket to you digitally. You’ll get an email and you’ll have to log into a Ticketmaster account and app to get it. P.J.
Ok, but to my eye it seems that almost all e-tickets on the exchange are without a an assigned seat number (not a range either). The exception is the instant e-tickets. Really confusing this 🙂 Petter
Petter, please tell me what session/stadium you’re looking at and what tickets you’re considering and I can look and try to steer you in right direction. Most of the resale tickets on all the major sites do actually have sections and seat numbers, so you may be looking in the wrong place as it can all be very confusing!
Hello PJ!
Thank you again for this guide – it helped us out a lot last year for our first visit. We are trying to get back this year again because we had so much fun last year! Anyway, I feel like I read this before but I can’t locate it now – can you confirm if there will be GA admission to the night sessions for Armstrong? Or is the night session all sold as a reserved ticket?
Thanks!
Jason
Hey Jason, thank you! Yes, the upper ring of Armstrong is all GA seating at all times (both day and night sessions); I’m not 100% sure, but they will almost certainly clear the stadium between day and night sessions, though, so if you scored a great seat during day you’ll probably have to line up again to try to get in evening session (TBD).
The lower section is all courtside reserved, and there are separate day and night sessions Mon-Sat of the first week. Then only day sessions Sun-Tues. P.J.
I am looking for Loge tickets on Ashe on Sunday 2 September at night and on Monday 3 September at day time. On Sunday night there are tickets for 182 dollar in section 114, row J. These are “Owned by seller. Not currently in hand. Guaranteed to email by 08/03/2018.” But in the seats field it only says “- -“.. There are all several other examples, in fact all the tickets that are not instant, seems to be without an assigned seat. Petter
Petter, just looked on the exchange and saw exactly what you’re talking about. Your questions have helped me enormously and will help me better explain all this to others (I’ll create an FAQ on this as soon as I can). Here’s what I’ve learned: (1) Every resale ticket on Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster Exchange is verified by Ticketmaster and authentic. If there were ever a problem, Ticketmaster has lots of language protecting the buyer. No worries there. (2) Some of the tickets on the Exchange (such as Sun evening 114 Row J) listed as “E-Ticket” (not as “Instant E-Ticket”) are not… Read more »
Thank you so much, P.J.!
I would be clueless without your help. I am in Norway but still I have a US Ticketmaster account, so that should not be a problem. Thanks again! Petter
You’re most welcome, Petter!
I am blown away by the quality of this blog post. P.J., this is super helpful to all people, especially newbies to the US Open (like me). Based on the fantastic advice you’ve provided, I’m struggling to choose between two options – would love your advice. Background: 1) I know I want to go for only 1 day; 2) It’s my first time to the U.S. Open so I want to have a varied experience; 3) I want to keep my costs down but maximize my experience. Thus, here are the two options I’m trying to choose between. Option #1:… Read more »
Hi Sanjay, thanks a million! You have laid out three very wise options, all have benefits. I would probably go for Option #2, as that Wednesday should be easier to get into the non-Ashe stadiums to access general seating areas without too long a wait, and that will enable you to see some great players up close without having to purchase a reserved Armstrong seat. Having the Ashe tickets for both sessions will ensure you see some super famous players, and an Ashe evening Loge seat will be great to experience. You can’t go wrong with any of your options,… Read more »
By the way, apart from my other posts, I just wanted to say that this site is AMAZING and such a great guide to the US OPen. Thanks so much for putting it together…
Two questions – wondering about other people’s experiences. Q1. I live in Dublin, Ireland and set up a Ticketmaster USA acct to buy tickets, but it wont accept any of my credit cards. Ticketmaster USA suggest ‘this is because I don’t have a Zip code in my address’, but this seems crazy to me, as no-one coming from overseas could have one. Anyone else had the same experience and/or suggest a fix? Incidentally I was able to buy resale tickets using the same Cr Card, and my NYC-based daughter bought me some more, but I find it maddening, and wondered… Read more »
Hey Adrian, on your payment question first: Can you double check that you did the following steps? I set up a new Ticketmaster account to test the experience as if I were in Ireland. Here’s are three key steps you need to take when trying to purchase: Step 1: Choose the ticket you want to purchase (press “get tickets”), then “Next” after donation page, then you’ll get a DELIVERY page. On that page, click the “Other Country” box at the top, then either the Mobile option or Will Call. (see this for what it looks like) Step 2: On PAYMENT… Read more »
Hi P J (and anyone else from Ireland that may have experienced a similar issue) – first-off thanks so much for trying to convince Ticketmaster USA that an issue actually did exist. Second, yes, the screens you reproduced were the ones that I experienced when actually trying to buy tickets. I don’t actually want to go back in now to try to reproduce, as I have the tickets I want (for now) and don’t want to buy more. However, a more fundamental question – and I wonder if anyone else had this one. EVEN BEFORE I try to buy US… Read more »
Adrian, amending my answer above… Just went back to James’s post and realized the issue was the STATE field, not Zip. And TM is still forcing an answer for State, even though there are no States in Ireland (and it forces you to choose from a dropdown menu, but no choices are given!). I’m going to try calling Ticketmaster right now to ask a real person whether they can fix this glitch. P.J.
Update: I’ve been talking to someone at Ticketmaster for 20 minutes trying to walk them through and show them that this is clearly a programming error unique to Ireland. I finally convinced them, after showing them that if you choose any other country on the dropdown menu the “state” field disappears and it just asks for city and postal code. The person is now escalating and trying to see if (1) they can generate some kind of form you could fill out instead and (2) if they can get the programmers to fix this online. Will keep you posted…
OK, so turns out it’s going to take a while for them to fix the online form, so they’re going to send you a form you can fill out instead in the meantime if you want… It’s complicated because looks like you have to go through Ticketmaster US (Ticketmaster Ireland has a website but they don’t offer US Open tickets on it). Geez! Sorry on behalf of us American fans for the hassle!! P.J.
Is it just me or are all the tickets resale verified? I have not been able to find any face value tickets in my price range. I am looking for Ashe Day or Night for $100-$150. Then the plan is to get Armstrong or Grandstand tickets on Friday
Hey Gina, all of them on Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster Exchange are verified. What days are you looking for? PJ
I am trying to go Thursday Aug.30 and or Friday Aug. 31. I also went back and read your section on where to purchase the best tickets. I just don’t want to wait to late and not get a good price. One of my friends is going and she is afraid to sit to high, but doubt we can afford to be to low in Arthur. I’, looking at sections like 116/117 back rows thiugh.
Hey Gina, there are always tons of tix available for Thurs week 1. I’d suggest being patient and not rushing- you will likely find a good deal as the summer progresses. I’d focus more sooner on Fri Aug 31 now and keep looking carefully to see if you can spot a good deal within your budget, as Labor Day weekend sessions beginning Friday generally have higher demand. P.J.
ok sounds like a plan
Hi there – what are your thoughts on ground passes for labor day monday? are there enough good games? even if they are, are the lines and crowds way too much?
Hey there, First, I never recommend Grounds Admission when Ashe seats are available at around the same price – and they are for that day. Check Ticketmaster – there are resale tickets in Promenade as low as $55 and standard for $90 (Grounds are $85). Second, there will be lines but if you get there early enough you will be able to get an unreserved seat in Armstrong or Grandstand for round of 16 matches. And there are many great doubles matches. See last year’s schedule for that day as a guide. P.J.
Hi,
I went to the Ticketmaster site today and looked at the prices for Armstrong using their map where they show seat location and cost. Do you know why some of the seats are blue and some red?
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Tamara, you’re welcome! Blue-dot seats are standard (face value) tickets issued by USTA through Ticketmaster; Red-dot tickets are resale tickets, put up for sale by individual subscribers. Resale tickets always carry a higher service fee and are usually more expensive than face-value tickets, but quite often you can find resale tickets that are less than face-value cost (or better seats at the same cost) because resellers are simply trying to sell and not lose money. P.J.
Thanks for the info!
Do you happen to know if there will for sure be men’s matches on Grandstand for the round of 16 daytime sessions? I decided to take a chance and get close seats on that court for the Monday. Could they possibly only be showing some women’s matches on there?
Hi Braeden, you’re welcome! It’s hard to say for sure. But I hope they repeat what they did last year, when they put one men’s singles R16 match on Ashe Day, one on Ashe Eve, one on Armstrong Day, and one on Grandstand. I remember that vividly, because I was sitting in Ashe evening watching Federer and we could hear the ROAR of the crowd on Grandstand watching Delpo in a fierce battle with Thiem… Delpo was sick and lost the first two sets badly but came back to win the last 3 sets. That was the ticket everyone wanted… Read more »
What a phenomenal website this is. Hats off to you. What has been the experience in prior years on labor day monday on grandstand. Was 2017 (with a mens R16 match) the exception or the rule?
Hey there, thank you! Well it used to be that Grandstand would always feature a round of 16 men’s match on Labor Day. 2016 was an exception to the rule – a lot of us were very surprised they didn’t put a R16 on GS on Mon. It may have had something to do with the fact that it was the last year for the old Armstrong before they tore it down… My hunch is that they will continue the old tradition and, just like last year on Labor Day, put 1 R16 match on Grandstand, 1 on Armstrong, and… Read more »
If they did put a R16 match on grandstand on labor day monday, would it be an evening match? or where would it be in the order of play? seems like session starts at 11am, so trying to get an idea as to what time the R16 mens match would likely be.
Hey Jacob, really no way to predict… Many years, the men’s R16 match has been 1st or 2d in the lineup on both Armstrong and Grandstand. But last year it was the last match (which may have been due to a combination of rain delays and the fact that Delpo was sick and they were trying to give him a little more time). I actually had reserved tickets last year for Grandstand Day as well as Ashe night, so I was going insane that I had to make the choice of Federer over Delpo (as I would tell anyone else,… Read more »
Hey
I plan on going to the Men’s/Women’s quarterfinals evening session (Sept 4th). I am going to get courtside tickets, so I can be up close since this will be our first time going to tennis match live and want to make it count.
1)Will it be possible to get good courtside tickets at/for less than $1,300 each?
2)What do those tickets usually run for?
3)Which rows are the best if your on courtside (I assume A-D)?
Thanks for all the help with this blog. We are very appreciative.
Hi Bob, you’re so welcome. Almost certainly for that Tues versus the Wed, which is always the more expensive night. I’d hold out until you see some pop up later in the summer under $1000. After the first day’s schedule is announced, prices will either go up or down depending on whether Federer could potentially play on that day based on his schedule for Day 1 or Day 2 (see my FAQ #1 and #3 on that). Seating preference depends a lot on the individual – I always prefer sitting closer rows around baseline (to be closest to the player),… Read more »
Why is Wednesday the more expensive night?
Thanks!
I’ve never understood that myself! No Clear logic. It could be that a lot of people mistakenly think that Wednesday night matches will be more competitive than Tuesday night, even if they are both quarterfinals. It makes no sense!
I am starting to get a little nervous since the courtside tickets (baseline and corner seats) are either very expensive or not available to buy. I been following your great advice to check daily and patient. I am determined to get good seats for both Ashe night sessions (Sept 2 and 3rd) since this will likely be my one time at the US Open. However, it is starting to seem like I will have to pay around $900-1000 per ticket. For the courtside (corner and baseline seats), which rows do you feel are good? For example, how good are the… Read more »
Hey Bob, it still is pretty early in the cycle for resale tickets. For those particular nights you’re looking for, I have always found courtside seats including fees for under $700 a ticket – but I’ve often purchased them in July or August. I cannot guarantee that will be the case again this year – it really is a lot like the stock market in that there’s never certainty… But in my experience, particularly with courtside seats on Labor Day Sun and Mon night, it has paid to be patient and keep checking. At the very worst, you’ll pay $900… Read more »
So, I finally got a couple of tickets for Monday September 3rd. The tickets I got are Section 60, row F, seats 14-15 for $577/ticket which includes the fees. Was this a good deal? Also, based on your past comments, these are suppose to be decent seats. Thanks.
Hey Bob, yes, amazing deal. That’s 3d row in a section where seats are often reserved for players’ coaching team members and family. You can’t do much better than that! P.J.
PS – Just realized I was in exactly the same seats last year during that same session (Labor Day evening) watching Federer. It was bliss. Several friends texted me during saying they could see us regularly on TV. We were in heaven in those seats.
Hi, P.J. How are you doing? Thank you a lot for all the information. I am using it as my guide. I am from Brazil and will attend the 2018 US Open. I have one question. I really want to attend the final rounds of the tournament (Men’s semifinals and finals). I know it is really expensive. I bought today a ticket to the Men’s Semifinals in the Lower Promenade at face value. How is the view of the Lower Promenade for a tennis fan? Can I actually follow the match? I know the atmosphere will be great, but I… Read more »
Oi Lucas! Absolutamente e melhor estar “en vivo”! Sorry my Portuguese is pretty limited… But it is indeed more exciting to be in the stadium for the matches, and Lower Promenade is much better than Upper (which feels very high up). Also, there are multiple screens in the stadium, so if you ever want to see close-ups of certain points or replays, you can simply look at them. Having a face-value ticket for the Semis is a good purchase! P.J.
Thanks for the response, J.P.
Your Portuguese is pretty good! ?
I bought 2 tickets in the Lower Promenade for the Men’s Semifinals, section 318, row J for 300 dollars, fees included. I am not sure if it was a good deal and if these seats are good enough. But it was face-value and it appeared to be cheaper than the rest of the tickets available in the Lower Promenade. What do you think?
Also, is it easy to resell them later if I want to?
Thank you!
Lucas
Muito obrigado, Lucas! Yes, totally – that’s 7th row in that section (out of 22 rows), and semis are always the most expensive session besides Finals. If Federer or Nadal make it through to Semis, or if people think they will, any ticket in that area will go for more than that and should be very easy to resell. The difference between your ticket and the lowest cost Loge seat will be around $500 — so I think you made a great decision! P.J.
Hi PJ, I live in New Zealand but am lucky enough to be in NY 6th – 10th Sept this year! The ticket prices for Arthur Ashe are a bit scary so thought I would just splurge on 1 session for my husband and myself; I was thinking of Men’s Semi Finals 7th Sept? Friends who have been before tell me that the ‘cheap’ seats are so high up you might as well watch on TV – would just appreciate some advice since this is likely to be our one and only visit to the US Open. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jean! Yes, many of the sessions are quite pricey. Men’s Semi’s is, however, the most expensive session besides the Men’s Final– because you are guaranteed two of the tournament’s awesome best-of-5-set matches in the same session. Average prices for those upper rung Promenade seats are $200-700 each, and “Loge” resale seats are currently $800+ on the resale market (regular price tickets in Loge start at $650). Courtside during Semis are out of reach for anyone but the wealthy and in the thousands. If you enjoy women’s tennis, that Thurs night session on Sep 6 will get you much, much… Read more »
Hi P.J, Thanks so much for taking the time to reply and so promptly – much appreciated! Best wishes Jean
You’re most welcome, Jean! P.J.
We generally like to buy reserved seating in Grandstand for the Friday before labor day weekend (this year it’s Friday 8/31). With the new Armstrong stadium, do you think there will still be “good” matches in GS on 8/31? Or do you think we are much better off buying reserved seats in Armstrong because likely better matches and no rain concerns? The resale prices in GS are not bad right now but pretty high for Armstrong. Thanks so much for your help and your site is awesome!
Hey Robin, thank you! I do think they’ll be some great ones on Grandstand on Fri and Sat during 3d round even with Armstrong. However, you may want to wait a few more weeks to see how tickets shake out for that day in particular. I’d be surprised if average resale prices for Grandstand for that Fri go up much; and my hunch is that there will be better deals for both GS and Armstrong in the weeks ahead (at least I’m counting on that for myself :). If you can find something in your budget for Armstrong that day… Read more »
Hi PJ, Great blog! Your enthusiasm for tennis is so contagious, it reminds me of the time growing up on the other side of the world, when I would watch all the US Open matches late and to school the next morning all bleary eyed! I am quite a tennis nerd, trying to get to 4.5, just like you! I live in San Francisco now, and will be making my first trip to the US Open. This has been the dream of a lifetime. I have been going every year for the last several years to the BNP Paribas Open… Read more »
CC, likewise wonderful to feel the passion come through in your note! You will love the Open. It is such a wildly different feel than Indian Wells – bigger, brasher, more chaotic… Apart from the stakes feeling higher for the players, the biggest difference of all is –of course– that the men have to play best of 5 sets. Which makes for some crazy long, roller-coaster matches. (I do LOVE Indian Wells — have been 3 times and even subscribed for tickets until the prices went through the roof). Overall, looks like a very great, thoughtful plan! And given the… Read more »
Thanks PJ!
This is great advice!
CC.
Oh, and one other question – why don’t the resale tickets on the Ticket Exchange appear on the main Ticketmaster site, because some resale tickets do?
The vast majority of tickets on Ticketmaster Exchange are also visible as “Resale” tickets on the main Ticketmaster site – but for some inexplicable reason, occasionally you’ll find tickets on the Exchange that are not on Ticketmaster, which is why I always check both before buying. I wish I could explain why – absolutely no clue… Sorry! P.J.
Haha, no worries, you’ve been very helpful with both my questions. I’ve never used the Exchange before, they seem to have loads of resale (and yes, some on there appear on the “main” site, but not all), but assume there are no issues with the legitimacy of the tickets? Absolutely 100% safe, correct?
I’ve been to the AO and R-G this year, and getting tickets for those was so much easier at the on-sale time! Sadly, as a Londoner, the slam I struggle most for tickets is my local slam, seven ballot attempts, seven failures 🙁
LOL, thanks. I can’t speak for Ticketmaster, but I’ve never had any issues myself or heard of any. And Ticketmaster offers this promise: “Other sites may offer a money back guarantee or “comparable” seats if something goes wrong. But with us, even tickets transferred or resold to you are 100% verified and issued in your name so they can’t be counterfeited.” I actually went to Wimbledon about 4 years ago and had an amazing experience, but had to pay a small fortune to get the tickets… P.J.
I know Wimbledon is such an experience. All four slams are different and each has it’s own charm, but Wimbledon seems extra-special. Melbourne has the awesome pro of being located right in the city, so it really takes over the city, plus staying centrally means a 15 min walk to your hotel, R-G has the red clay and is the only slam where the main language isn’t English, the USO is big, brash and a trip to NYC, but Wimbledon is Wimbledon…
Oy, what a frustrating afternoon (I’m in the UK, so 9am EDT = 2pm UK) trying to buy Ashe Loge tickets for Friday 31/Aug Evening and Sunday 2/Sept Day. It just didn’t work for me at all, but eventually after about 90 mins I managed to get courtside for Friday evening. No availability at all for Sunday unfortunately, so will need to rely on resale over the course of the summer. Such a poor performance from Ticketmaster.
Great site this is though, full of great guidance.
Hi Jon, I feel your pain. I didn’t end up getting anything today myself. But that’s fantastic you got courtside seats for Friday evening. Do keep looking in the days/weeks/months ahead — as I say, USTA (which releases the tickets to Ticketmaster) does occasionally release new standard tickets (albeit inexplicably at random times), and there will be many many more resale tickets posted over the summer as more subscribers put their tickets up for resale. P.J.
I just went on to try and buy Armstrong tickets for the middle weekend and was kind of appalled that the standard ticket price is $300+ and the balcony seats for Arthur Ashe are $170+. That is significantly more than what I’ve paid in the past. Is this just because of ticket resales and corporate sponsors?? I feel like this tournament becomes less and less accessible every year.
Hey Cassie, yeah, they are indeed very steep. The Labor Day weekend Ashe seats are about the same on average as they were last year, but courtside reserved seats for the New Armstrong stadium are set much higher on average. There are, however, many many more general admission (unreserved) seats in Armstrong than ever before– so hopefully more fans will be able to get in with either their GA grounds tickets or less expensive Ashe seats. P.J.
Hi again, i’am so sorry but if i clickother countries nothing happens, always only go mobile!
Did you check it? Perhaps it’s en error on the system?
Sorry again but for me it’svery important. Thank you so much
Hey Markus, yes, I followed those steps (being logged out of my own Ticketmaster account as a test) and it worked. Are you also clicking to select the second circle that says “Customers in Other Countries by Will Call?” After you do that, you have to sign in or create a new account. I went through and created another account as a test, saying I was outside the US. It then took me to this final check out window, where it verifies Will Call as selected under “delivery.” If you continue to have problems, I’d just email or try to… Read more »
I stay in Switzerland and will be on 25th Aug. in NY. Now i will buy for 27.8. 31.8. 4 Loge tickets for each day. Ticketmaster system tell my allways GO Mobile, but i will take the tickets on the will call window.
How can i do it? Where can i put “will call window? Thanks
Hi Markus, after you select your tickets for purchase, you’ll get a window that says “Delivery.” Click on the “Other Country” option, then click “Will Call.” See this screenshot of what it looks like. P.J.
Hi again! I am looking for loge tickets on Ashe, but they are not easy to find at a reasonable price 🙂 When are normally these tickets at the cheapest? Courtside tickets are extremely expensive. How cheap can these tickets possibly be over the summer?
Best regards,
Petter from Norway
Hi Petter, unfortunately there’s no clear answer. See my FAQ #3 above. P.J.
Do you know what this means in the Ticketmaster Exchange: “Owned by seller. Not Currently in hand. Guaranteed delivery in time for the Event!” Also a bit strange that the seats are not assigned, it says only “- -“ in the seats field. Are these tickets safe to buy?
Sorry for all the questions. 🙂 Petter
Hi Petter, this means that the it’s being sold by a season ticket subscriber who hasn’t yet received the tickets to be able to transfer, but will. However, if you are purchasing from outside the US on the Exchange, I always urge folks to look for “Mobile” delivery option just to be on the safe side. It’s just less hassle. The person who’s selling that ticket will be able to convert it into Mobile delivery, but I just personally would opt for Mobile resale tickets only if I were outside the US. PJ
Hi,
These tickets seem to be Mobile tickets as it says e-ticket, but not “instant e-ticket”. Or are these tickets still paper (physical) tickets?
I also think it is really confusing that the Ticket Exchange is a separate website from the ordinary Ticketmaster site. However, it seems that most (but not all) of the resale tickets on the Ticket Exchange are also shown on the Ticketmaster site. The Ticket Exchange site is the best one to navigate, I think.
Best regards, Petter
Hey Petter, “instant e-ticket” is same as “Mobile.” And yes, I know it can be confusing to have both a separate Exchange site and the regular site. There are pros and cons to both layouts– and yes, sometimes tickets appear on the Exchange that are not also listed for resale on Ticketmaster (don’t know why)– which is why I encourage everyone to always check both. P.J.
This is not necessarily for posting (unless you wish to). I have corresponded with you before, largely confirming your observations which have been consistent with our own. We have attended for many years now. We have been buying for the same two days (holiday Friday Day, Fright night and Saturday Day) for years. We did buy some tickets in the Amex presale this year as I will discuss below. We had been buying Friday and Saturday Ashe Day (cheap seats) and Armstrong Day ((premium) in the member and now Amex presales. In recent years it has gotten too risky not… Read more »
John, thank you thank you so much for sharing such detailed observations and experiences. Super helpful to me and I’m sure to others who are working to weigh options and make good decisions. And thank you so much for the supportive words. I totally agree with your assessment about Armstrong: with the 3 matches vs 2 at Ashe, it will be a great investment for serious fans who care about seeing great tennis in what promises to be a much more intimate setting. Likewise agree that next year will be the real test for how the market responds to all… Read more »
Hi P.J!
After reading your wonderful blog, I plan to buy a day session at Arthur Ashe on Tuesday Aug. 28. Just to make sure of my schedule: According to my understanding, with this ticket I will be able to enter the ground at 9:30 am and after the day session at Ashe I will still be able to enter Armstrong for the unreserved evening session. Is that right?
Thanks a lot!!
Hi Rachel, that’s exactly correct! P.J.
Exactly what I did thanks to your blog!! I’m so glad I found your blog this morning. Helped me sort through all the choices with our tight budget.
So happy to hear it! Thanks for letting me know, Mimi! P.J.
P.J,
Great info! Purchased tickets via AMEX pre-sale to quarterfinal night matches in lower promenade over the weekend. Read your site today and now wish I had held off and waited until later this summer. Will watch quarter loge prices and maybe sell mine for an upgrade. Keep up the good work!
Ryan, thank you so much! Hey, if you got Lower Promenade for Quarters at face value, you should feel good about that investment. If you decide to resell, it should be much easier than Upper Promenade to recoup what you paid for them. However, if you do decide to try for better seats later on, I’d recommend trying to resell your existing tix first to make sure you can before pulling the trigger on a new purchase. I’ve made the mistake of assuming I could resell tix in the past, only to have to drop prices substantially and take a… Read more »
Hey there- great article very helpful. Just need some advice. I am considering buying cheaper Arthur Ashe tickets in section 300s for my boyfriends birthday for Sept 1st. Not sure if you suggest I do that or just get general admission. It looks like Arthur Ashe cheaper tickets are about the same as general admission. Which makes me think i should just get the seats and that way we can walk around as well? I’m new to this and have never been before so I think it will be cool to be able to be inside Arthur Ashe Let me… Read more »
Marissa, YES YES absolutely. Always, always an Ashe cheap seat over Grounds Admission — even if a little more expensive, worth it in case of rain AND to have option to go into Ashe if someone famous he loves is playing. P.J.
PJ,
What is a reasonable price to expect to pay, or what have you felt good about paying in the past, for a close (Rows A-E) ticket in Grandstand and Armstrong on 9/1-9/3?
Debating whether I should pull the trigger on one now or wait it out.
Thanks,
Clayton
Hey Clayton, I’m personally waiting it out. Last year Grandstand prices went down on average as we got closer. And the New Armstrong has so many more courtside seats and subscribers this year who will put their tickets up for resale over the summer that I suspect more good deals will surface. For 9/1-9/2 Grandstand, I’ve found amazing seats around $250-275 past couple years and seen more available for less (someone is posting seats for Sunday GS for $1000, which is insane). I am personally betting on the fact that plenty of good Armstrong deals will be available (and I… Read more »
Hi,
A quick question. Can a verified resale ticket be resold on Ticket Master? May be a dumb question, but just wanted to confirm.
Hi Praveen, yes they can on Ticketmaster Exchange – however please note they have a requirement: “In order to resell your tickets for events in the US, you must have a US bank account.” P.J.
I am living in Ireland and trying to book tickets for the US Open tennis. When I select “Ireland” as my country, it then asks for my state, with a drop down menu which has nothing available to select! THERE ARE NO STATES IN IRELAND!!!! When I select any other nation, this “state” box does not pop up. This is incredibly frustrating as I am unable to purchase tickets because of this. It is quite clearly a glitch in their system!
James, I am so sorry to hear about that – how totally frustrating. Did you try to contact them on their contact page? Let me know how it turns out – happy to call and complain from the US if need be! P.J.
James – I had/have the same issue – did you figure out any way around it or did anyone else in this forum suggest a way around it? I just posted a message explaining my (similar) problem…
P.J.
I thought tickets for the grandstand were supposed to be on sale today but I do not see any (I only see reseller tickets). Do you know what happened? Thanks so much!
Hi Robin, it appears that all Grandstand courtside reserved tickets were already sold to subscribers (unless there has been some kind of glitch on Ticketmaster). Last year, there were standard tickets available closer to the tournament (USTA always holds some aside in every stadium, then releases at random times throughout the summer). We’ll have to keep an eye on it today, but appears it will only be resale unless USTA releases more in the weeks/months ahead. P.J.
Hi there- Getting ready to log on in the morning for all the fun! I’m planning to go to Day sessions on Fri. 8/31 then Night session on Sat. 9/1. I’m for sure planning to get tixs in Ashe for the night session on 9/1. Do you recommend Armstrong for the Day on 8/31? Wanting to check out the smaller venue but wondering if I should just get cheap Ashe tixs?
Thanks,
Kristen
Hi Kristen, it really depends on your priorities and budget. Armstrong tix are not cheap – and the downside is that you might miss Federer or Nadal or Serena someone else you care about seeing who get scheduled om Ashe. The upside is that you will feel much closer to the action and have an experience that is more intimate in Armstrong (which is something I love passionately). Another consideration: even though there will definitely be long lines to get into General Admission Armstrong seating (if you don’t have a reserved seat) you will almost certainly be able to get… Read more »
Hi again- well that was a fun 2 hours on the computer. I had a quick question- going 8/31 and bought lower promenade Day Ashe tixs (in the shade- thanks for the info on that!). I bought Loge tixs for 9/1 Evening Ashe- standard tixs section 115 row N- $175. There was a large price difference for closer and all resale. My question is… is 115 row N a really bad place to sit???? If so, I’ll resell and look for others.
Your insight is invaluable…thanks,
Kristen
Hey Kristen, LOL. Yes, I feel your pain and went through it – ended up with nothing myself. As for 115 Row N, that’s perfectly fine! It’s just really such a difference to be in Loge (vs Promenade), even if in that last row – and you may potentially be able to sneak up a few rows for part of the evening if others don’t show up or leave early (however, as I always say, be prepared to move instantly if they come to their seats– for their benefit and that of everyone around you). Resale tickets for that evening’s… Read more »
Hi P.J! Just wanted to say a big thank you for writing such an amazing blog, it has been a joy to read. These last few days I have spent more time reading your blog, than my favourite bookmarked websites! The amount of detail included is incredible, and was just the thing I was looking for! This will be my first US Open visiting from London. I am planning to attend the 2nd round matches on the 29th and 30th of August. The plan was to hopefully acquire some cheap Day Ashe tickets as you recommended, that would also give… Read more »
Hey Chris, thank you very much for your kind words – made my day! So happy it’s been helpful. Here’s the great news: there will be plenty of 2d round Ashe tickets throughout the summer that will be far less than other sessions later in the tournament, regardless of what you find tomorrow. There should also be many standard (non resale) Promenade seats for those Day sessions well beyond tomorrow. Tomorrow, if you see evening Ashe standard non-resale Loge tickets for those sessions, I’d grab them if you can afford them; it’s unlikely you’ll find resale Loge tickets later that… Read more »
I have been looking for tickets for a US Open session during Labor Day weekend. I’ve gotten some information about tickets that include a “premium hospitality experience”. From what I can see, this includes tickets plus access to some special rooms (“the overlook” and/or “the 1968 room” with food and beverages). Do you know anything about the amenities in these rooms?
Hi Virginia, there are descriptions of those spaces and amenities here. The price premium for those “premium tickets” is very high. My own take: unless having access to those kinds of spaces is a much higher priority than great seats, I’d spend the difference and purchase courtside seats (which, even on the resale market may cost less than “standard premium” Loge). P.J.
Hi PJ – thanks to your guidance I’m ready to purchase tickets to our first US Open! We are targeting Arthur Ashe – lowest rows in loge section – for the third and/or fourth rounds. Will the official Ticketmaster sale starting tomorrow offer individual loge tickets? I have read somewhere that they aren’t offered.
Just want to set my expectations accordingly for tomorrow morning 🙂
Many thanks from Toronto!
Hi Liz, you’re very welcome! It’s always hit or miss with regard to availability of regular Loge seats on the first day of the individual ticket sale on Ticketmaster. Here’s what to expect: Logging on tomorrow right at 9am EDT will almost assuredly try your patience. Every year it’s an exercise in frustration during the initial hours: so many users log on at the same time that Ticketmaster usually doesn’t allow the “map” view — which forces you to do a search for “best available” (which takes longer than usual because of the number of folks looking)… then, finally, when… Read more »
Hi! Thank you for excellent information. This is our second time to visit US Open. Last time we got great reseller Loge tickets at Arthur Ashe Stadium. This year it will be a little bit different because of new Louis Armstrong Stadium.
So I’m very grateful for your tips.
We’ve been to all Grand Slams and best value for your money you get in New York and Melbourne. One ticket to the main stadium and you reach all courts. And by the way, Roland Garros was the worst, crowded and no roof and of course it rained…
Greetings from Finland!
Päivi, thank you very much for letting me know! Really appreciate it, and glad you’re making it back over here this year! P.J.
Hello! This will be my first experience in the US Open. I am from Argentina. I like all your comments, and I appreciate your suggestions.
Only one question: why can’t I find in the schedule shown on the Ticketmaster link the Grandstand Stadium?
Sorry, but I can’t find it! Should I wait until June 11th to buy tickets on the Grandstand Stadium?
Thank your for your help!
Hola Beatriz! Grandstand tickets don’t go on sale until this Monday June 11 at 9am EDT. If you go to Ticketmaster and click “More Info” next to any Grandstand session, you will see resale tickets available for purchase now. I would advise waiting until June 11 to see if you can get standard non-resale tickets first. P.J.
Hi PJ, Thank you so much for putting this together. Definitely the most comprehensive resource around! And thank you for actually replying to the comments. I’m sure it takes up so much time but I can tell from reading below, you’re actually taking your time to compose a good answer. Anyway, here’s my question, I’m planning to go the first week, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. 2 of the days I’m planning to purchase cheap Ashe day tickets and then a courtside Armstrong ticket (day session). Will those tickets also give me access to be there in the evening since they… Read more »
Hi Rebekah, thanks! Yes, any Day session ticket gets you into the grounds — and once you’re in you can stay as long as you want. (You just can’t stay in your reserved seat after the day session ends). P.J.
Thanks so much for your quick reply!
This may be the single best review / advice column I’ve found. I’m also a huge tennis fan and already knew a fair amount of this info this was awesome. Thank you so much for helping all of us out!
Byron, thank you so much – really appreciate it! P.J.
Hiya PJ, Brillant post. I am doing a bucket sports trip and have put aside all of Monday 27th and day session on the 28th as will be going to Yankees baseball that evening. I’m guessing due to my time schedule my best bet would be a Ashe evening ticket on the Monday and what would you suggest for the day of Monday & Tuesday? Would you recommend purchasing these tickets from 9am on the 11th or waiting, as possibly the demand for the first 2 days isn’t as great as later in tourny Also keen to see some practice… Read more »
Hey, thank you! Depends on your budget, but if it were me I’d probably do the following: Mon DAY: Ashe super cheap Promenade seat to save your budget. Go into Ashe to see a famous player for a bit from nosebleed seats, but plan to spend most of your day checking out practice courts, outer courts, etc. So much to see and that’s a good time to do it. Mon EVE: Treat yourself to the best seat you can afford in Ashe. Do Courtside if you can afford it (may be able to get for around $350). It’s the opening… Read more »
Hi! Thank you so much for this very useful information! I am planning to visit US Open for the first time with my brother, visiting from Norway. A question you may have the answer to: Will it be possible to get tickets at face value if I try to get tickets on Monday at 12 PM EDT? Tickets will be available at 9 AM, but because of obligations at work I will not be able to order tickets at that time.
Best regards, Petter
Hi Petter, how great you’re coming for the first time! My guess would depend on which session/stadium and type of seat you’re trying for. If for an Ashe Promenade seat for most sessions, you’ll probably be fine. In contrast, Ashe Loge and Courtside seats at regular prices may be difficult to find — even if you were to log on right at 9am EDT. For Armstrong, it’s hard to know as this will be the first time so many tickets are available for the new, larger stadium – but I suspect there will be some still available. The toughest sessions… Read more »
Thank you so much for your reply!
By the way, do you know if there is an easy way to know what the actual face value of a particular ticket is? I am just think that it is not easy to know whether the deal on the resale market is good or not if I can’t compare it to the face value. The resale prices at the moment seems to be pretty high, but that is understandable as you point out in your post (demand exceeds supply).
Petter
My pleasure! So it’s a little complicated and not very transparent. I’ve done my best to collect what I know on this chart of price range for regular tickets, which I prepared based on publicly available data, which, frustratingly, is only published in a range and not with specificity per section. I’ll try to fill in more details as I learn them. The lower end of the price range for Ashe tickets you see is for Upper Level Promenade seats, the upper end for Courtside seats. Prices vary considerably from session to session. Last year, the face value of a… Read more »
P.J.
Thank you for the fantastic resource. My wife and I have attended 2 prior times and your insights are excellent.
I have a question, we will be going from a day session to Kennedy Airport. What is the best option to get from tennis to the airport ?
Hi Geofrey, you’re so welcome – thanks a million for your thanks 🙂 Getting a cab after a day session usually isn’t too challenging (late nights are tough when Ashe gets out because there’s a massive crowd all trying to leave at once). There are usually lots of cabs on the street just by the entrance to the 7 train – I’d probably try that first. If you are concerned about time and want total peace of mind, I’d recommend making a reservation in advance with a car service (they’ll have to meet you in the car service pickup area… Read more »
Don’t see any mention of exact day & time B.O. opens so we locals can go in person to purchase tix & avoid Telecharge outrageous fees! Every yr we go thru this esp during the remodeling yr (2016) when it was falsely claimed there’d be NO box office! USTA & Telecharge of course don’t want to disclose this. We longtime fans (been going for 40 yrs since Forest Hills days when Grounds Passes were $3) dont want to schlep to Flushing & find out B
O. closed.
Hi there, you’re right that it’s confusing and has differed substantially from year to year! Last year, the physical box office on site at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center wasn’t opened until much closer to the event. I just found out that it will open this year on weekends only beginning on July 13th, then sometime in August it will be open every day (they couldn’t confirm exact date). You can always call the USTA ticket office at 718-760-6363 before heading over to verify. P.J.
One last question. I’m travelling from Ireland, so would need tickets either to be sent here, or for them to be print at home tickets. Is this possible with Ticketmaster and/or Stubhub for US Open tickets?
Hi James, let me tackle this one first – may need to reply to your other ones in a couple hours. All tickets through Ticketmaster are offered as “MOBILE” tickets (i.e., “Your Phone is Your Ticket”) – which requires having a smart phone with internet/wifi capability. If you do not have a smart phone (either iPhone or Android) and you purchase through Ticketmaster, they WILL help you – but you’ll have to contact their customer service directly and have them make an exception and transfer your tickets to “Will Call” pick up location on site. If you don’t own a… Read more »
James, I posted a question just now about issues with setting up a credit card on ticketmaster USA to buy tickets for the open. I live in Dublin and notice you are talking about buying tickets and travelling from Ireland. Did you have any issues with adding Cr cards to the ticketmaster USA account to enable you to purchase? Tx
PJ that’s incredible work. Thanks very much. I’m heading to the US Open this year. I’ve been to the Australian Open 4 times, and Roland Garros once, so looking forward to completing part 3 of the Spectator Grand Slam. I’m travelling with my girlfriend and our plan is to do one Ashe evening session, and then a fully day another day, ideally with a Louis Armstrong reserved seat, to guarantee us tennis in case of rain, and to remove the stress of the “first come first serve” aspect. We will be there in the first week and would like to… Read more »
Hey again! You’re absolutely right to be cautious about rain – it’s a common issue and I’ve dealt with it personally so many times! Here’s my advice: 1. The price range for standard Armstrong tickets, frustratingly, has not been fully posted yet. They’ve only posted for some sessions. I will update my ticket price chart as soon as they update. In the meantime, what we do know from what’s been posted is that the base price for courtside Armstrong seats will be high: $190.00-$230.00 early in 1st week, then it appears $270.00-$320.00 Fri and throughout Labor Day weekend. This is… Read more »
Thank you, Thank you! This information is amazing and so comprehensive. I have been to the Open dozens of times but there are things in this article I didn’t know. I realize Louis Armstrong was redone and is new this year, and please forgive me if this info is in your article and I missed it, but what sections are in the shade? I know you said South, West and then North are the shady sections of Ashe so I assume the same holds true for Armstrong but what should I look for as far as tickets go? Thanks again!
You’re so welcome, Beth, thank you!! So I’ve done a lot of digging and at this point I’m 99% sure that the court orientation will be the same as Ashe. I just made this annotated map showing the orientation based on everything I’ve seen. I believe the behind-the-server seats in South sections 1 or 18 will get most shade soonest (along with South corners 2 or 17); then shade will wrap around West side clockwise, as with Ashe. Upper row courtside seats (just not sure beginning with which row) should be in shade almost the entire day because of an… Read more »