TL;DR In August 2025, I checked off a bucket list item by attending Fan Week and part of the first round of the US Open in Flushing, NY! Here’s a few thoughts and observations from my time.
Preparation
When I prepare for a vacation I try to prepare a few pre-planned events and excursions, but not so many as to prevent serendipitous or organic discovery. When I was preparing to go to the US Open, I had a hard time understanding how it worked. What all did I need tickets for, what was free, what did I need a Fan Pass for, etc. And, when I’m at a match is it rude to leave, is there anything to do between matches, etc. It was just hard to get a sense for how it all worked as someone who has never visited. The US Open website was of no help, but, I was able to cobble together a few tips from coworkers, and this blog post in particular was extremely valuable.
The Plan
US Open Fan Week is free to enter during which attendees can watch a ton of qualifying matches (players who are competing to make the main draw), as well as some of the top players practicing. They also had a new mixed doubles tournament which required a ticket to see. Our plan was to enjoy some of Fan Week including this new Mixed Doubles tournament, and some first round matches. We flew in to Laguardia, the closest airport, on Tuesday, Aug 19th during Fan Week. We left for a weekend excursion on Friday, Aug 22, returned the evening of Sunday 24th. Then we stayed for some first round matchups on the 25th, then left on the 26th.
I splurged for courtside seats for the Mixed Doubles Semis and Finals. I thought this would be my best chance to see some top players up close in Arthur Ashe stadium without going bankrupt. We also bought first round tickets for Louis Armstrong stadium which included a grounds pass to check out other matches and practices.
The experience
I think the best way to describe the US Open is: A tennis festival. There’s food stands, giveaways, shops, drinks, and other various fan experiences. If you need a break from tennis, there’s plenty of places to hang out and take a breather. As for the tennis during Fan Week and the first round, it’s totally casual. If you find a match that seems interesting, hang out and enjoy it. If it’s a dud, or there’s something else that’s more interesting, wait for an appropriate break and leave. No commitment.
Anyways, my wife and I had an amazing time. The qualifying tournament tends to have players ranked between 100-300, and although they might not be big names, they’re still incredible players. It’s so much fun to watch them close up and hammer 120+ mph serves. We enjoyed picking a few favorite players and routing for them throughout qualifiers.
My mixed doubles ticket splurge was totally worth it. We got to see about ~5 hours of tennis including the Grand Slam Final in Arthur Ashe, the biggest tennis stadium in the world. Up close, we saw Iga Swiatek, Casper Ruud, Jessica Pegula, and Jack Draper. We also saw the champs, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, who were an incredible doubles combo.
Anyways, the whole experience was a blast. I would happily go again.
Other random thoughts
- the US Open app is useful, but not very well designed. You have to scroll through a lot of content to find the matchup you’re interested in.
- It gets hot. If you visit, have sunscreen ready, but consider wearing lighter full length clothes to cover up.
- A honeydeuce is a delicous, strong drink. I pretty much needed a nap after drinking one.