2026 US Open Tennis Championship Tickets

There are sporting events you watch, and others you experience. The US Open clearly belongs to the second group. New York isn’t just home to one of the year’s four Grand Slams—a small tennis town springs up in Queens, with day and night sessions, secondary courts where you might suddenly stumble upon a thrilling match, and an atmosphere that blends major-sport excitement, late summer vibes, and that quintessentially New York energy of “something’s happening here.”

If you’re thinking of going, the first piece of good news is that you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy it. The second is that it’s helpful to understand how it all works: what tickets to buy, which dates to look at, what’s on each week, and which sessions tend to be the most appealing. Because the US Open has many facets, and choosing wisely makes a big difference in your experience.

The easiest way is to buy your tickets by session. At the US Open, they don’t sell “a generic day,” but rather a specific combination of date + time slot + round. That lets you be quite specific: a first-round night match at Arthur Ashe isn’t the same as a semifinal or a final.

If you’re looking for a straightforward and easy-to-manage experience, the most practical approach is to check the Hellotickets calendar and select tickets for the US Open Tennis Championships directly. There, you can compare match days, see which rounds are played each day, and decide whether you prefer the start of the tournament—when there’s plenty of tennis and matches happening all over the place—or the big days, when the focus is on just a few matches but everything feels like a major event.

In terms of ticket types, the tournament typically offers three main formats: grounds passes, which grant access to the grounds and the secondary courts; Grandstand tickets; and reserved-seat tickets for Arthur Ashe Stadium, the main stadium.

The latter are usually the most sought-after, as they also allow access—on a first-come, first-served basis—to Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, and the outdoor courts. At Hellotickets, moreover, the available tickets are specifically for sessions at Arthur Ashe Stadium. If you want to guarantee a great match and not leave it to chance, this is usually the safest bet.

The tournament is held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, located within Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in the borough of Queens. It’s a massive complex, designed almost like a sports campus, with Arthur Ashe Stadium as its iconic centerpiece, but also featuring Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, and a good number of outdoor courts where much of the tournament’s magic often lies.

The best thing about the US Open is that it’s not limited to the main stadium. In fact, many repeat visitors will tell you that one of the keys is to wander around the grounds, pop in and out of secondary courts, and let the day surprise you. In the span of a short while, you can watch a top favorite practicing, catch a nail-biting match on a small court, and then head over to Arthur Ashe for a night session —the kind that ends with the crowd completely caught up in the match.

Getting there is pretty easy if you use public transportation. The most convenient option is to take the 7 subway line or the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) to Mets–Willets Point, which is just a short walk from the venue. If you’re staying in Manhattan, it’s a perfectly manageable day trip—you can go and come back in a single day without too much hassle.

You can also get there by car, but given that this is New York and a major event, public transportation is usually the most practical option. If it’s your first time going, this is one of those occasions where it’s worth choosing the easiest route and saving your energy for what really matters: hours of tennis.

The 2026 edition will be held from August 23 to September 13. That timeframe may seem long, but it makes sense because the US Open is no longer just the main draw: it also includes the qualifiers, Fan Week, special events, and, of course, the full lineup of sessions that make the tournament a much broader experience than a simple two-week draw.

If you’re interested in the “main” tournament, the singles main draw begins on August 30. The first few days are fantastic for anyone who wants to see plenty of tennis and take advantage of the entire venue. From there, the action intensifies: the round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. The night matches at Arthur Ashe Stadium, moreover, have a reputation all their own. No need to exaggerate: they’re simply different. More tense, more theatrical, more New York.

If you’ve already decided you want to experience it live, it’s best to start checking as soon as possible which US Open matches are available.

What Is “Stars of the Open” and When Is It Held?

Stars of the Open is one of the major events of Fan Week, the week leading up to the start of the main draw when the venue opens to the public with practice sessions, exhibitions, and special activities. In 2026, it will be held on Thursday, August 27, at 6:00 p.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

It’s a much more lighthearted and festive event than an official match, but that’s precisely why it’s so popular: you get to see the stars, the atmosphere is more relaxed, and it helps you get into the spirit of things before the actual tournament begins. For many fans, it’s a great way to add a unique evening to their US Open experience.

There’s an important detail here, and it’s worth explaining clearly: Roger Federer isn’t returning to the US Open as a main-draw player, but he is coming back to New York as the star of Fan Week. In 2026, he will participate in a special event billed as “Roger Federer: An Icon Returns to New York.”

Specifically, the event will take place on Tuesday, August 25, at 7:00 p.m. at Arthur Ashe Stadium

The beauty of this return lies in its symbolism. Federer won five consecutive US Opens, and his connection to Arthur Ashe Stadium is very strong, so his return carries obvious emotional significance. What’s more, he won’t be doing it alone: he’ll share the court with legends like Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi, and John McEnroe, turning the event into a mini-reunion of tennis greats. For anyone who lived through tennis’s golden age of the 2000s, it’s one of those events that instantly brings back memories.

While we’ll have to wait for the final draw to put everyone in their place, several players are coming in as serious contenders. On the men’s tour, the clearest battle remains at the top between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who dominate the conversation thanks to their rankings, skill level, and ability to change the pace of any match. Behind them, Alexander Zverev emerges as the closest challenger, and one step below, there are extremely dangerous players like Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, and Novak Djokovic—players who, at a Grand Slam, are never just “another name.”

In the women’s draw, the player to watch right now is Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1, with Elena Rybakina and Iga Swiatek as two of the top contenders to challenge for the title if they make it to New York in top form. It’s also worth keeping a close eye on Jessica Pegula and Mirra Andreeva, and not losing sight of Coco Gauff, who always brings something extra to the table when the tournament is on U.S. soil. That’s the thing about the US Open: there are favorites, yes, but the tournament rarely goes off without a hitch.

The US Open was founded in 1881, making it one of the oldest tournaments in world tennis. Throughout its history, it has changed its name, surface, and venue, but there are two milestones that help explain why it remains so important.

The first came in 1973, when it became the first Grand Slam to offer equal prize money for men and women. This is no small matter: it’s one of those decisions that truly changed the history of the sport. The second milestone came in 1978, when the tournament moved to Flushing Meadows and adopted hard courts as its surface. Since then, that blend of elite tennis, concrete, and New York City atmosphere has become part of its identity.

Perhaps that’s why the US Open has such a distinctive character. It doesn’t try to be like Wimbledon, or Roland Garros, or even Melbourne. It does things its own way: louder, more open, more of a spectacle. And that’s part of its charm. If you’re thinking about buying tickets, you’re not really just buying a match. You’re buying the chance to spend a day—or a night—inside one of the most vibrant settings in world tennis.