US Open Fan Week in New York: mixed doubles day at Arthur Ashe Stadium
The 2026 US Open at Flushing Meadows begins differently from what some spectators may expect. A visit on August 25 does not lead straight into the first round of the singles main draw, but instead into Fan Week, qualifying and a special edition of the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship. The main singles tournament begins several days later, while this part of the program is designed as a concentrated introduction to the final Grand Slam of the season.
For spectators with a ticket for Arthur Ashe Stadium, the most important distinction is between the start of the program across the entire complex and the start of play on the center court. The published schedule for Tuesday has mixed doubles beginning at 10:00 at Louis Armstrong Stadium, while matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium begin at 11:00. The gates to the complex open earlier, so arriving before the first changeover leaves enough time for security screening, exploring the grounds and watching part of the program outside the main stadium.
The day brings the first two rounds of the mixed doubles competition, namely the first round and quarterfinals. This means that the story of one team can change dramatically in just a few hours: the winners of the first match return to the court with a chance to secure a place in the semifinals on the same day.
Tickets for this event are in demand.
Why the mixed doubles tournament is different from a traditional Grand Slam day
The US Open has retained a format that favors a fast pace. Until the semifinals, matches are played as best of three sets, but each set goes only to four games. At 4-4, a tie-break follows, games are played with no advantage after 40-40, and instead of a full third set, the match is decided by a match tie-break to ten points.
For a spectator in the stands, the consequence is very concrete. In a traditional match, losing one service game early in a set often still leaves enough time to recover. Here, a break at 1-1 or 2-2 can effectively decide the entire set. One poor return, a double fault or a lost point at 40-40 carries more weight than in the standard format.
That is why it is particularly interesting to watch several elements:
- how much the first serve creates space for the partner at the net
- whether the return can immediately neutralize a powerful opening shot
- how naturally the teams move together toward the net
- who takes control of the middle of the court when the rally speeds up
- how the players react to a deciding no-advantage point
- how calmly they play the closing stages of a short set or a match tie-break
Mixed doubles is therefore not simply singles tennis with four players. The geometry of the court is different, reactions at the net become more important, and the best singles player is not automatically the best partner. A player accustomed to constructing points from the baseline has to account for a partner cutting off the ball, while a powerful server often gains additional value if their partner closes the net well.
The entered names attract attention, but the final field has not yet been settled
The entry list at the beginning of August contained 29 teams. Among them were Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, Alexandra Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula and Jack Draper, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, Naomi Osaka and Kei Nishikori, as well as Venus Williams and Alexander Bublik.
It is important to distinguish an entry from a confirmed place in the draw. The entry deadline closes on August 17, after which six teams with the best combined singles rankings receive direct entry. Eight additional places are allocated as wild cards, while the final two teams come from qualifying played the previous day.
For that reason, it is not accurate to present all 29 entered combinations in advance as the confirmed field for Arthur Ashe Stadium. The final draw and the schedule of individual matches determine who will actually play on which court.
That uncertainty is important for a visitor buying a ticket for the entire event rather than for one predetermined match. The names may be huge, but the value of the day also lies in the possibility of seeing several completely different styles within a few hours.
Sabalenka and Djokovic represent maximum aggression
If Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic make the final field, their partnership attracts attention because of the very different ways in which they control a point. Sabalenka can shorten rallies with powerful opening shots and pressure after the serve. Djokovic has for years been among the players who best neutralize an opponent's serve, and his return allows the team to enter the rally immediately.
Djokovic reached the Australian Open final in 2026, and at Wimbledon he again made the semifinals after an exhausting quarterfinal against Felix Auger-Aliassime. Matches like these show why his ability to manage key points is relevant even in the short mixed doubles format.
But the four-game format itself reduces the room for a slow start to a match. There is not much time to study the opposing combination. A team has to quickly find its serving patterns, net positioning and method of covering the middle.
Swiatek and Ruud already know what the closing stages of this format feel like
Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud have experience that cannot be gained through practice alone: together they reached the final of the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship. There they were stopped by Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
For a new appearance, that experience means they know not only the rules but also the rhythm of the entire day. In short sets, moving from one match to another requires a quick mental reset. There is no long introduction, and one poor service game can erase an advantage gained only a few minutes earlier.
Swiatek is a player who can take the ball early and dictate from the baseline, while Ruud brings heavy topspin and discipline in point construction. As a team, the question is how effectively such individual qualities transfer into a system in which the middle of the court is often more important than a traditional exchange of cross-court shots.
Errani and Vavassori are a reminder that doubles experience can beat singles star power
Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori enter the story as the defending champions. Their 2025 result is particularly interesting because it showed how much doubles experience can alter the balance of power.
Against Elena Rybakina and Taylor Fritz, a combination with exceptionally powerful serves and baseline shots, Errani and Vavassori managed to impose better court coverage and more effective net play. It is a good illustration of what to watch live: not every point is decided by the speed of the first serve.
Sometimes it is more important who recognizes the moment to cut off the ball, who closes the angle after the return and who leaves their partner with less space to defend.
Anisimova and Tien bring a different generational profile
Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien are also among the entered combinations. Anisimova returned to New York after reaching the 2025 women's singles US Open final, and at the beginning of 2026 she reached No. 3 in the WTA rankings. During 2026, Tien entered the ATP top 20 and won the tournament in Geneva.
Their combination is interesting because of their ability to take the ball early and change direction without much preparation. In a fast format, that can create pressure on the first two shots after the serve.
Nevertheless, form immediately before New York remains changeable. The Cincinnati Open runs almost until the start of Fan Week competition, so the five most recent appearances of individual players cannot reliably be locked in more than a week in advance. For spectators, it is therefore more useful to follow the latest results after Cincinnati ends than to rely on statistics that may still change before arrival in Flushing.
The hard court rewards the first strike, but doubles play changes the equation
The US Open is played on a hard court. The ball provides a relatively clean and predictable bounce, so players who serve well and attack the second shot early can quickly take the initiative.
In mixed doubles, that pattern has an additional layer. A powerful serve is not merely an attempt to win the point outright. A good serve can produce a weaker return that the partner at the net immediately finishes with a volley. The reverse is also true: a high-quality deep return can completely remove the server's advantage and create room to attack the next ball.
Spectators in the lower sections of Arthur Ashe Stadium can clearly see the speed of reactions and how little time players have at the net. Higher sections offer a better perspective on the entire geometry of the point: the movement of both partners, coverage of the lines and the moment when someone leaves their side to cut off the ball.
That is one of the advantages of watching doubles live. Television coverage often follows the ball. From the stands, it is possible to watch the player who is not hitting the ball at all and see how their position changes the opponent's decision.
Seats are disappearing quickly.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is not an ordinary tennis stadium
Arthur Ashe Stadium opened in 1997 and seats 23,771 spectators, making it the largest tennis stadium in the world. A retractable roof was introduced for the 2016 US Open, giving the center court the ability to continue the program in weather conditions that would cause interruptions on outdoor courts.
In 2026, the stadium is in the middle of a multi-year modernization, but the work is not planned to stop the tournament program or spectator access.
The size of the stadium significantly changes the viewing experience. On a small court, spectators can almost hear the partners talking between points. Ashe creates a different kind of pressure: sound spreads across the huge stands, and a short deciding point at 40-40 can produce a reaction that feels more like the end of a set than an ordinary game.
In mixed doubles, this is particularly pronounced because the score can change very quickly. Two or three points can separate a controlled set from a tie-break.
One ticket, plenty of tennis during Fan Week
Fan Week runs from August 23 to 29. Qualifying for the men's and women's singles tournaments takes place simultaneously across the courts, while on August 25 mixed doubles shares the spotlight between Louis Armstrong Stadium and Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The qualifying tournament has 128 players in both the men's and women's draws, and it fills the final 16 places in each singles main draw. This means that on the smaller courts, spectators can watch matches involving players for whom one result will determine whether they compete in the main US Open tournament several days later.
For a visitor who wants to make the most of the entire day, a good rhythm is simple: arrive before the program begins, check the current schedule, watch some qualifying or mixed doubles outside the center court, and then take the reserved seat in Arthur Ashe Stadium in good time.
Seats in Arthur Ashe Stadium for the 2026 mixed doubles tournament are reserved, so there is no need to claim a seat long before the start merely to secure a better section. Nevertheless, the schedule can change, which is why it is worth checking the daily order of play immediately before arrival.
The evening brings a completely different program with Roger Federer
Tuesday ends with a separate event at Arthur Ashe Stadium. At 19:00, the exhibition "Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" begins, in which Federer returns to the court in New York for the first time since his last US Open appearance in 2019.
Roger Federer, Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe have been announced. Federer won five consecutive US Open titles from 2004 to 2008, while Roddick, Agassi and McEnroe also hold titles from New York.
It is important not to confuse the daytime mixed doubles tournament with the evening exhibition. They are separate programs. Visitors should check exactly what their ticket includes rather than assume that daytime access automatically includes the evening event.
How to get to Flushing Meadows
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. For most visitors arriving from other parts of New York, public transportation is the simplest option.
Subway line 7 runs to Mets-Willets Point station. The same area is also served by the Long Island Rail Road via the Port Washington Branch, with connections from Penn Station, Grand Central Madison and Woodside.
Organizers recommend public transportation because parking is limited. For rideshare vehicles, the drop-off and pick-up zone is located near the New York Hall of Science, from where a walking route leads toward Champions' Entry.
For driving, the navigation address of the complex is USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadow Corona Park, Flushing, NY 11368. Traffic around Citi Field and Flushing Meadows can vary depending on other events, so allowing extra time makes more sense than trying to arrive only a few minutes before the first match.
Entering the complex: bags and security screening
Bag rules are one of the practical matters best handled before the trip. One bag per person is allowed, with maximum dimensions of 12 x 12 x 16 inches. Traditional backpacks are not permitted, except for certain simple drawstring models and necessary medical equipment. All bags are subject to inspection.
Glass bottles and cans are not permitted. A reusable metal or plastic water bottle may be brought in if it does not exceed the permitted size of 24 oz. Large luggage should not be brought to the complex, especially when arriving in New York directly from the airport.
The complex is cashless, so food and other services are purchased without cash.
Accessible seating and vertical access via ramps and elevators are available for visitors with limited mobility in the main stadiums. When arriving by train, the accessibility of the specific station and recommended route should be checked because the options offered by the LIRR and subway are not identical.
How to watch mixed doubles as a tennis match, not just as a collection of famous names
The most interesting part of this day is not merely the number of Grand Slam champions on the entry list. The format creates tactical problems that singles tennis does not have.
Watch the server's partner before every first serve. If they move closer to the middle, the returner must decide whether to risk going down the line or play a safer cross-court shot. Also watch the communication after a lost point. In a short set there is not much time to repair a poor run, so the team's mental stability becomes as important as pure technique.
With players who have dominant serves, it is worth watching how often the partner manages to finish the next ball. With elite returners, watch whether they can return the serve deeply enough that the opposing net player cannot attack immediately. And with experienced teams, the most important element is off-ball movement: the best volley often begins several steps before the opponent has hit the preceding shot.
Watching in this way quickly shows why defending champions Errani and Vavassori can be just as interesting as combinations made up of more famous singles stars.
It is worth securing tickets in good time.
New York between matches
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is located in Queens, next to Citi Field and the famous Unisphere, one of the park's recognizable symbols. Manhattan is directly connected to the tournament area by rail and subway, but on a day when the program begins in the morning there is little reason to plan long trips away from the complex between matches.
Fan Week is precisely the opposite: its value lies in moving between courts. In one place, spectators can watch an elite mixed doubles team, a few minutes later a qualifying match, and then a practice session or another program on the grounds.
For spectators visiting a Grand Slam for the first time, it is also the best way to understand the scale of the tournament. Arthur Ashe Stadium is the center, but the US Open live is not one court. It is an entire system of stadiums, outside courts, practices and matches taking place simultaneously.
That is exactly why August 25 has a different character from the later days of the singles main draw. There is no single predetermined blockbuster match carrying the entire session. The day is built from multiple short matches, qualifying stories and opportunities to compare completely different styles of tennis within just a few hours.
Sources:
- US Open - 2026 tournament schedule, Fan Week dates, qualifying dates and start of the singles main draw
- US Open - schedule and format of the 2026 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship, method of filling the draw and published list of entered teams
- US Open - information about Fan Week and court access during the first week
- US Open - information about Arthur Ashe Stadium, capacity, reserved seating and infrastructure of the complex
- US Open - information about arrival by subway, LIRR, car and rideshare transportation
- US Open - bag rules, permitted items and security screening
- US Open - announcement of the event "Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York" and confirmed participants
- ATP Tour - results and context of Novak Djokovic's 2026 season
- US Open - profile of Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien ahead of their entered mixed doubles appearance
- US Open - results and tactical context of the 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship