Vivid Society NY

-M.Regan

photo via hansmarkutt

The US Open is in NYC, well Queens.

From August 23 through September 13, 2026, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens will host the final Grand Slam tournament of the season: the US Open. Fan Week—offering complimentary grounds access with a Fan Access Pass—runs from August 23 to 29, with main draw competition beginning August 30. Carlos Alcaraz returns as defending champion in men’s singles; Aryna Sabalenka holds the same distinction in women’s singles. Total prize money stands at $108 million.

The tournament began as the U.S. National Championships in 1881 at the Newport Casino in Newport, Rhode Island, restricted to male members of the U.S. National Lawn Tennis Association. Women’s singles followed in 1887, doubles in 1889, and mixed doubles around 1892. It became the open-era US Open in 1968 at Forest Hills, Queens—Arthur Ashe and Virginia Wade its first champions—before moving to Flushing Meadows in 1978. Surfaces shifted from grass to clay to the current DecoTurf hard courts. In 1973, it became the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money. Jimmy Connors remains the only man to have won on all three surfaces.

SCHEDULE:

• Fan Week (Aug 23–29): Free grounds admission (Fan Access Pass required; registration has closed due to demand). Includes qualifying, mixed doubles, player practices, family events, Happy Hours, Silent Disco, and more. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day is on Aug 23
• Qualifying: Men’s and women’s singles, Aug 24–27 (field courts). Mixed Doubles Qualifying on Aug 24 (Grandstand, free with pass).
• Mixed Doubles Championship (reimagined format): Qualifying Aug 24; main draw rounds around Aug 25; semis/final Aug 26 (evening in Arthur Ashe). Notable pairings include stars like Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz.
• Main Draw Singles: Starts Aug 30 (day and evening sessions). Rounds progress through early September; women’s final Sept 12; men’s final Sept 13. Doubles, juniors, and wheelchair events run concurrently in later stages.
• Typical session times: Day sessions often start mid-morning (gates ~9:30–11 a.m.); evening sessions ~7 p.m. (gates ~6 p.m.). Arthur Ashe matches generally begin ~11:30 a.m. (exceptions noted). Full daily order of play is on usopen.org; TV coverage primarily on ESPN networks and Tennis Channel. Schedule is subject to change.

For more informtion and tickets: https://www.usopen.org/

Others things to do in the area:

* Queens Museum (Queens Museum of Art) – free admission. For more information: https://queensmuseum.org/

*New York Hall of Science – admission fee. For more information: https://nysci.org/

*METS – One of NY’s MLB teams. Watch them play at Citifield. For more information: https://www.mlb.com/mets/ballpark

Tags: #nyc #newyork #usopen #queens #tennis