Doubles matches on the smaller courts offer tennis fans an up-close-and-personal perspective (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
August 29 – September 11, $36-$1,000
www.usopen.org
Tickets for one of New York City’s truly great annual events, the U.S. Open, go on sale Monday morning, June 13, at 9:00 am. Taking place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Corona Park from August 29 through September 11, the Open features the best tennis players in the world converging on Queens, playing in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, and smaller courts where you can watch thrilling matches at eye level. (You’ll never enjoy a doubles match as much as seeing it up close and personal.) Tickets begin at $36 for evening sessions and $58 for day sessions and head toward $1,000 for the finals; as always, if you go to a day session, you can stick around for all the night matches as well, except for the ones going on in Arthur Ashe. Defending champions Rafael Nadal, who won his first Open last year, and Kim Clijsters, who has lifted the winner’s trophy in 2005, 2009, and 2010, will be back, facing stern challenges from the likes of Novak Djokovic, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Roger Federer on the men’s side and Vera Zvonareva, Caroline Wozniacki, and the Williams sisters in the women’s brackets. The Open also features live concerts throughout the two weeks, with specific performers to be announced. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day ($13-$44) is set for August 27, with appearances by celebrities from the worlds of tennis, music, movies, and more. Don’t hesitate; get your tickets now to an experience no New Yorker should miss.