Open's return to New York next week, some are experiencing sticker shock. Ticket prices for the year's final Grand Slam tournament have soared, with fans on social media and ticket marketplaces pointing to rising costs for resale tickets—from grounds passes to premium seats—to the competition at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. Watching elite sports in person has become increasingly expensive, as strong demand, limited inventory and a booming resale market continue to push ticket prices higher.
After a warm-weather season that saw New York-area fans pay premium prices for Knicks playoff games and FIFA World Cup matches, the U.S. Open is now seeing a similar trend. Online, many users are calling out the high prices.
Here’s how tickets to watch some of the world’s best tennis players square off compare to other global tennis events and warm-weather sporting spectacles in New York. Newsweek has reached out to the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) for comment via email on Wednesday.
Open is one of tennis' four Grand Slam tournaments, alongside the Australian Open, Roland-Garros (French Open) and Wimbledon. Held each year at in Queens, New York, it is the final Grand Slam of the tennis calendar and regularly draws a large attendance, often with celebrity sightings. The 2026 tournament’s qualifying rounds start on August 23, with tickets available August 25 through September 13.
The singles tournaments feature 128 men and 128 women, with players competing for one of the sport's most prestigious titles. The most recent men’s and women’s champions are Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka captured her second consecutive U.S.
Open title in 2025 by defeating Amanda Anisimova in the women's final, while Alcaraz beat Jannik Sinner in the men's championship match. The tournament has been won by some of the sport's biggest names, including Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and many other tennis legends. Several of the sport's biggest stars are expected to compete in the tournament, though the final list has not been confirmed as some players continue to manage injuries.
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