US Open in New York: opening of the main draw brings the first real test on hard courts
The US Open enters the competitively most important part of the tournament when the first-round matches of the men's and women's singles tournaments begin at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing. The main draw begins on Sunday, August 30, and the evening session that day opens its gates at 18:00, while play is scheduled to begin at 19:00. The day session begins earlier, so tennis will be played at the complex practically throughout the entire day.
This is an important distinction for visitors who see the time 18:00 on their ticket. That is not necessarily the time of the first point, but the start of admission for the evening session. In the early rounds of the US Open, the schedule includes a large number of simultaneous matches, while the specific allocation of players to courts is published separately. The men's and women's singles draws for this season will be published on August 27, so before then it is not possible to responsibly claim which player will appear in a particular evening session.
The first round is precisely one of the more interesting moments for watching the US Open live. On the large stadium courts, it is possible to see seeded players and former champions, while the outside courts often feature long matches in which one tie-break or one lost service game completely changes the rhythm of the contest. The differences between the courts can also be felt from the stands: Arthur Ashe Stadium provides a more monumental view of the game, while on the smaller courts the sound of the ball, the players' movement and communication with the team are noticeably more immediate.
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The men's tournament gained an entirely different context after Sinner's withdrawal
The most important change ahead of the main draw came on August 21. Jannik Sinner withdrew from the US Open because of a problem with his right knee. His absence changes the entire structure of the men's tournament because he is a player who had a 44-3 record during the season and won Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome and Wimbledon.
Sinner won the title in New York in 2024, and a year later played the final against Carlos Alcaraz. His withdrawal means that another major Grand Slam duel between them in New York cannot take place this season.
Carlos Alcaraz confirmed his participation on August 20 and returns after a problem with his right wrist that has kept him from playing a competitive match since Barcelona in April. His most recent tournament appearances therefore need to be viewed differently from those of players who spent the entire summer in competitive rhythm.
His run before the break looked like this:
- Australian Open - title and completion of the career Grand Slam
- Doha - title after a final victory over Arthur Fils
- Indian Wells - semifinal
- Miami - third round
- Monte-Carlo - final and defeat to Jannik Sinner
After that, Alcaraz won his first match in Barcelona against Otto Virtanen, but withdrew before his next appearance. In the first four months of the season, he recorded a 22-3 record. Such a result confirms his quality, but ahead of New York there is an obvious competitive unknown: the US Open will be his first tournament after a break of several months.
From a tactical perspective, his game is well suited to hard courts when he can combine a powerful first shot after the serve, an aggressive forehand and a quick transition from defense to attack. At the same time, best-of-five-set matches require continuity that is difficult to simulate in training. His first appearances will therefore show how quickly he can restore his automatic patterns on return, control of longer rallies and precision when the point reaches the fifth or sixth shot.
Novak Djokovic arrives in a different situation. This season he was a finalist at the Australian Open and a semifinalist at Wimbledon, and in New York he already has four singles titles. Sinner's absence removes one of the toughest possible opponents from the draw, while questions remain over Alcaraz's form after the break. That does not mean the path to the latter stages is simple. Alexander Zverev arrives as the Roland Garros champion, while players who can pose a serious threat also include Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Flavio Cobolli.
Among the American players, Shelton is particularly interesting. He won this year's tournament in Montreal and in doing so defended the title he had won the previous season in Canada. His combination of a powerful serve and aggressive first forehand is naturally dangerous on a hard court. Fritz already knows what the latter stages at Flushing Meadows look like because he reached the final in 2024.
Sabalenka defends the title, but the hard-court competition arrives at full strength
In the women's tournament, the main reference point remains Aryna Sabalenka. She won the last two US Opens and arrives in New York with the opportunity to become the first player since Serena Williams to win three consecutive singles titles at this tournament.
Her game is especially dangerous when her serve sets the point into the pattern she wants. The high speed of her first shot, deep return and ability to take the initiative from the baseline can quickly push an opponent behind the baseline. On a hard court, this often means that several quality returns in a single game can completely change a set. Against Sabalenka, therefore, simply holding serve is not enough. Her opponent must withstand her first attacking wave while finding a way to force her to play one additional shot.
Iga Świątek enters the final part of the North American summer after an important return to winning form. She won Toronto by defeating Elena Rybakina in the final 6-2, 6-3. It was her first title of the season and her first trophy in almost a year. In Cincinnati, she then extended her run to the semifinals, where Jessica Pegula stopped her.
With Świątek, her movement is particularly interesting on hard courts. Her sliding after wide shots allows her to defend from positions from which many players would remain out of the point, but a hard court still requires more precise stopping than clay. When she takes the ball early enough, her forehand can quickly open up the court. When an opponent manages to push her deeper behind the baseline, the match becomes much more even.
Jessica Pegula also arrives with a very recent result. In Cincinnati, she defeated Świątek in the semifinals after three sets and reached the final immediately before the US Open. Her main advantage is not a spectacular individual shot, but clean contact, taking the ball early and the ability to reduce her opponent's reaction time. In faster baseline exchanges, precisely that rhythm can be extremely uncomfortable.
Coco Gauff carries additional significance in New York as the 2023 champion and as a player who once again moved closer to the latter stages of major tournaments during the summer. In Toronto, she reached the quarterfinals without losing a set before that stage of the competition, and in Cincinnati she also made a deep run. Her defense remains among her most important weapons, but she is increasingly trying to finish points earlier by moving toward the net. That reduces the need for endless baseline rallies and gives her another option against players who handle pace well.
There are also Elena Rybakina, Amanda Anisimova, Mirra Andreeva and a number of other players capable of taking advantage of a favorite's poor serving day. Anisimova is particularly interesting to the New York crowd after reaching the US Open final in 2025, while Rybakina's serve is one of the most difficult opening balls to read when she finds her rhythm.
The draw still has to reveal where the toughest paths are hidden
The most interesting potential matchups currently need to be described precisely as potential. The draw has not been published, and qualifying still has to determine the final places in the main tournament. The qualifying tournament features 128 men and 128 women, with 16 from each competition advancing to the main singles draw.
That is also important for a ticket buyer. In the first round, a name on a major stadium court may attract the most attention, but a match on an outside court between a seed and a qualifier can sometimes become more interesting from a sporting perspective. The qualifier already has several competitive matches at the same complex behind them, while the favorite is only entering the tournament. In tennis, such a difference in rhythm can be visible from the first games.
Potential meetings between Alcaraz and Djokovic, Sabalenka and Gauff, Świątek and Rybakina, or Pegula and Anisimova have clear sporting significance, but their positions in the draw have yet to be determined. Until then, it is more useful to follow playing styles than to imagine pairings.
At the US Open, the hard court rewards players who take the ball early, combine the serve and first shot well and can withstand changes of rhythm. However, the tournament lasts long enough that power alone is not sufficient. Matches can transform from short, aggressive exchanges into physically exhausting baseline battles, while evening conditions can affect the feel of the ball differently from the daytime heat.
What live tennis looks like on the biggest courts in Flushing
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is one of the largest tennis complexes in the world. Arthur Ashe Stadium seats more than 23,000 spectators and has a retractable roof. Louis Armstrong Stadium has 14,000 seats and is also covered by a retractable roof, while Grandstand has 8,125 seats.
Those three stadiums offer very different experiences.
At Arthur Ashe Stadium, the view from the upper sections provides almost a tactical map of the match. It is easier to see how much a player opens the court with the serve, how deep they stand on return and how much space appears after a change of direction. What is lost in immediacy is gained in understanding the geometry of the point.
Louis Armstrong Stadium creates a more compact feeling. The crowd is closer to the court, the sound of the ball being struck is clearer, and changes of pace within a point are easier to feel. Grandstand and the outside courts are even more immediate, especially when spectators sit only a few rows from the baseline.
In tennis there is no constant noise as there is in some other sports. During points, the crowd becomes quiet, and the reaction comes immediately after the rally ends. Because of this, the sliding of shoes, the sound of the racket striking the ball, players' reactions and communication with the umpire can be heard clearly. After a long game, the atmosphere can change abruptly, and then only a few seconds later the entire stadium becomes quiet again for the next serve.
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A set, a tie-break and one lost service game can completely change the evening
One of the biggest differences between watching tennis live and watching a television broadcast is the sense of duration. There is no guaranteed finishing time for a match in advance. A short set can end very quickly, while several long games with many deuces can extend the contest far beyond expectations.
In men's Grand Slam singles, the best-of-five-set format adds another dimension. A two-set lead represents a major advantage, but it is still not the end. A comeback after losing the first two sets changes both the physical and mental character of the match. The crowd then reacts to every service game as though it were a small separate duel.
In women's singles, the format is best of three sets, so there is less room for error. One early break can become decisive if the player in front continues to serve well. On the other hand, a tie-break can erase in a matter of minutes the impression of dominance created throughout the entire previous set.
The best way to watch live, therefore, is not to follow only the score on the scoreboard. It is worth observing where a player stands on return, how often they attack the second serve, whether they change direction after a short ball and how they react after a missed break opportunity. Mental stability in such moments is often just as important as the quality of baseline shots.
Getting to Flushing: public transportation is the simplest option
The complex is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens. The nearest subway station is Mets-Willets Point on the 7 line, and the Long Island Rail Road also serves the same location.
The 7 line connects the area with Grand Central Terminal and other important hubs in New York. The LIRR runs to Mets-Willets Point via the Port Washington Branch, with departure points including Penn Station, Grand Central Madison and Woodside.
For visitors arriving by car, it is important to know that organizers recommend public transportation because of limited parking and heavy traffic. Sunday, August 30 is also one of the dates when the New York Mets play a home game at neighboring Citi Field, so traffic and parking arrangements change additionally. Visitors who nevertheless arrive by car should follow traffic signs and staff instructions on the approaches to the complex.
Rideshare vehicles use the area near the New York Hall of Science, from where there is a pedestrian connection to the entrance of the tennis complex.
For the evening session on August 30, the gates open at 18:00, and the first matches of that session are scheduled from 19:00. Arriving earlier leaves more time for security screening, finding the correct section and orienting yourself within the large complex. Rules concerning permitted items and bags should be checked immediately before arrival because security procedures may be updated.
New York beyond the stands
Flushing is part of Queens, one of New York City's five boroughs, and the National Tennis Center is located inside the large Flushing Meadows-Corona Park. In the immediate surrounding area are Citi Field, Queens Museum, New York Hall of Science and the recognizable Unisphere.
For visitors arriving from other cities or states, this means it is not necessary to arrange accommodation immediately next to the tennis center. Subway and rail connections make it possible to travel there from different parts of New York, particularly from areas along the 7 line or near major rail hubs.
The early rounds of the tournament are particularly suitable for visitors who want to combine a stadium match with visits to the outside courts. When a large number of matches are scheduled, a few minutes of walking can take you from a seeded player's match to a contest in which a qualifier is trying to achieve the biggest result of their career.
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What to watch when the first round begins
The first sporting storyline will be Alcaraz's return after a break of several months. His results from the beginning of the season showed how effective he was before the injury, but New York will immediately test his physical readiness, serving accuracy and ability to maintain his level throughout a long Grand Slam match.
The second is the change in the men's draw after Sinner's withdrawal. Djokovic, Zverev, Shelton, Fritz and the other players receive a different projection of their possible path through the tournament, but only the draw can show who is located in which part of the bracket.
In the women's tournament, the situation is more open. Sabalenka is trying to continue her dominance in New York, Świątek won Toronto and returned to winning form, Pegula arrives with strong hard-court results, and Gauff is once again making deep runs at major tournaments. Rybakina, Anisimova and the other seeded players increase the possibility that stylistically very demanding matchups could appear as early as the middle rounds.
Only after the draw is published on August 27 will it be possible to analyze head-to-head records, serve against return and each favorite's path toward the latter stages more precisely. Until then, the most important confirmed fact is simple: the main singles tournament begins on August 30, and the evening session opens its gates at 18:00 and brings first-round matches in the men's and women's competitions.
Sources:
- US Open - 2026 tournament schedule, gate-opening times and start times for day and evening sessions
- US Open - men's and women's draw pages, including the draw publication date and results of the 2025 finals
- US Open - information about the composition of the singles tournaments, leading players and results from previous editions
- US Open - announcement of Jannik Sinner's withdrawal because of a problem with his right knee, his season record and tournaments won
- US Open - announcement of Carlos Alcaraz's return after a wrist injury and his season performance
- US Open - information about wild card appearances by Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Gael Monfils and Alexei Popyrin
- ATP Tour - results and form of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Ben Shelton and other leading players during the season
- WTA - results from the tournaments in Toronto and Cincinnati and the current form of Iga Świątek, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka
- USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center - capacities of Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium and information about the complex
- USTA - information about Grandstand and the infrastructure of the National Tennis Center
- US Open - Transit & Parking and guide for arriving via the 7 line, LIRR, car and rideshare transportation
- US Open - information about the hard-court surface and the characteristics of player movement on hard courts