New York City tennis lovers: Your wallets might be spared.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is offering $100 tickets for the US Open at a fraction of market value. One thousand lucky residents will be granted access to the tournament for $100, which includes main-draw matches from August 30 through September 8. Tickets include seats in Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums, as well as grounds passes.
Tickets will go on sale online beginning at 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday, August 26, on a first-come, first-served basis. Buyers must have a ZIP code in the five boroughs. Lucky winners will be able to purchase a ticket for themselves and a friend, the mayor said.
The face value for grounds pass tickets this year is $65. But, as of Tuesday, tournament entry is going for between $240 and nearly $500 on resale platforms like Ticketmaster.
The US Tennis Association is partnering with the Mayor’s Office on the offer.
“Part of the beauty of living in our city is also the exposure to some of the greatest sporting events across the world,” the mayor said at a Tuesday press conference. “Yet, like what we’ve seen with many sporting events, the cost has continued to increase, and many New Yorkers feel as if they don’t have a chance at being a part of something like this.”
Mamdani has made lotteries and lower-cost sports tickets hallmarks of his affordability strategy this summer. He offered New Yorkers a chance to land discounted World Cup tickets, Knicks-themed wire trash cans, and front-row seats to the July Fourth fireworks. Starting this fall, high schoolers will also be eligible for cheap entry to Broadway shows.
The US Open, America’s marquee tennis tournament and one of the biggest in the world, has a reputation for grandeur. Attendees spend hundreds of dollars beyond entry on chicken nuggets with caviar, merchandise, and the beloved Honey-Deuce cocktail. It’s part sports tournament, part public fashion show, and part opportunity to impress your Wall Street buddies with access to an exclusive viewing box.
It’s almost a sure thing that these $100 US Open tickets will go quickly. When Mamdani announced affordable, limited-edition $50 World Cup jerseys in June, New Yorkers played hooky from work and waited in an hourslong line just for the chance at wearing one. Some of the jerseys, however, were going for up to $1,000 on resale websites the next day.
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