Each late summer, as the other three majors recede into memory, the tennis world converges on Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens for the final Grand Slam of the season. There is no genteel hush at the US Open — no dress code, no assigned formality. It is New York's tournament: loud, packed, lit until midnight, and built around a stadium so large it can hold more fans than any other tennis venue on earth. Since 1975, when floodlights first let organizers schedule matches after dark, night sessions at Arthur Ashe Stadium have produced some of the sport's most famous moments, and they remain the tournament's defining trademark.
US Open Tennis 2026 runs Sunday, August 23 through Sunday, September 13, with Fan Week and qualifying opening the grounds a week ahead of the main draw, which begins August 30. Twenty-two days of tennis and entertainment at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center — the largest event calendar in the tournament's near 150-year history. LXV coordinates Arthur Ashe Stadium suite access, courtside hospitality, and on-site coordination for members throughout the fortnight. Register your interest below.
The Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center occupies 46.5 acres in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens — the same grounds that hosted the 1939 and 1964 World's Fairs. The US Open has been played here since 1978, after 62 years at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills; 2026 marks the 56th consecutive year at the site. The complex was rededicated in the name of Billie Jean King in 2006, in recognition of her role founding the tournament's equal prize money for men and women — a first among the majors, in 1973.
The tournament traces back to 1881, when it began as the U.S. National Championship on grass at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. It moved to clay for three years in the mid-1970s before settling into hard courts in 1978, the surface it has played on ever since. For 2026, courts are laid in Laykold acrylic hard-court surfacing — the same system in use since 2020, when the USTA replaced the DecoTurf brand that had covered the courts for the previous 42 years.
The Schedule
| Dates | Stage |
|---|---|
| Sun, Aug 23 – Sat, Aug 29 | Fan Week — free grounds access, practice courts, entertainment; singles qualifying (Aug 24–27) and mixed doubles |
| Sun, Aug 30 – Tue, Sep 1 | Main Draw Begins — First Round |
| Wed, Sep 2 – Thu, Sep 3 | Second Round |
| Fri, Sep 4 – Sat, Sep 5 | Third Round |
| Sun, Sep 6 – Wed, Sep 9 | Fourth Round & Quarterfinals |
| Thu, Sep 10 – Fri, Sep 11 | Semifinals |
| Sat, Sep 12 | Women's Singles Final |
| Sun, Sep 13 | Men's Singles Final |
The Stadiums
The grounds hold three principal show courts, each with a distinct character and, since 2018, both major stadiums able to close out rain entirely:
- Arthur Ashe Stadium — Opened in 1997, the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world, seating 23,771. Its retractable roof, completed in 2016 at a cost of roughly $150 million, was the first of its kind at the US Open and lets play continue through weather that would once have suspended the day's schedule entirely.
- Louis Armstrong Stadium — Rebuilt for 2018 with 14,000 seats split across two concourses and its own retractable roof, giving the tournament a second all-weather show court.
- Grandstand — The newest of the three, an 8,000-seat court known among regulars for its intimacy and proximity to the action.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is the largest tennis stadium in the world — and since 1975, the US Open's night sessions under its lights have become the tournament's defining tradition, drawing the sport's biggest moments and its largest television audiences.
Night Sessions & Fan Week
The US Open runs on a rhythm the other majors don't attempt. Day sessions start at 11:00 AM; night sessions typically begin around 7:00 PM and, on Ashe, routinely run past midnight. There is no formal dress requirement anywhere on the grounds — the tournament's identity leans toward stadium-concert energy rather than garden-party reserve, with concourses full of food vendors, live music, and a crowd that is as much New York as it is tennis.
The week before the main draw, Fan Week (Aug 23–29) opens the grounds for free public access on most days, alongside singles qualifying and the mixed doubles qualifying event — a rare chance to watch top players compete at close range without a ticketed session.
LXV Access and Hospitality
LXV coordinates access throughout the tournament, from Fan Week through the finals. For members seeking premium seating, LXV arranges Arthur Ashe Stadium suite and club-level access, courtside packages, and reserved hospitality with dedicated concierge service on-site.
LXV can also arrange:
- Private car transfers from Manhattan or JFK/LaGuardia to Flushing Meadows
- Accommodation in Manhattan, with priority given to properties offering direct or expedited transfer to the National Tennis Center
- Session-by-session scheduling around quarterfinal, semifinal, or finals weekend
- A broader New York City extension on either side of the tournament
Frequently Asked Questions
When is US Open Tennis 2026?
Fan Week and qualifying run August 23–29, 2026. The main draw begins Sunday, August 30 and runs through the finals on September 12 (women's singles) and September 13 (men's singles), at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York.
Is this the same as the U.S. Open golf championship?
No. This page covers US Open Tennis 2026, the USTA's Grand Slam tennis championship at Flushing Meadows, New York. The U.S. Open golf championship is a separate event run by the USGA — LXV's 2027 U.S. Open golf page covers Pebble Beach Golf Links.
What is Arthur Ashe Stadium?
Arthur Ashe Stadium is the primary show court of the US Open and the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world, seating 23,771. It opened in 1997 and gained a retractable roof in 2016, allowing play to continue through rain.
How does LXV arrange access to the US Open?
LXV coordinates Arthur Ashe Stadium suite and premium club access, courtside hospitality packages, and on-site concierge coordination for members throughout the tournament, along with Manhattan accommodation and private transfers to Flushing Meadows.
