A limited offering of 1,000 discounted tickets to the U.S. Open championship sparked a massive online response Wednesday, with more than 300,000 New Yorkers attempting to secure the $100 seats. The online lottery, a collaboration between tournament organizers and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, went live at 10 a.m. and quickly amassed a waiting list of 336,573 individuals.
Mamdani announced the ticket deal, which is the first of its kind for the city and the U.S. Open, while also inaugurating 10 newly resurfaced tennis courts at a Bronx recreation center. He stated that the partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) aimed to provide New Yorkers with an accessible opportunity to experience the tournament, similar to a previous initiative offering discounted World Cup tickets.
"We want as many people as possible to experience tennis and the U.S. Open, and this additional Main Draw ticket access for New Yorkers only strengthens that commitment," USTA CEO Craig Tiley said in a press release. The discounted tickets grant access to main draw matches, which are scheduled to run from August 30 to September 8, and include seating in the tournament's main stadiums, Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong, along with grounds passes.
The $100 tickets are not eligible for resale on platforms where main draw match seats are currently listed for over $250. The program was intended exclusively for New York City residents, though the initial queuing process did not require identification, leaving it unclear if all participants were from the city.
Mamdani's office has previously organized similar affordable ticket initiatives, including $50 tickets for World Cup matches and $15 tickets for a National Women's Soccer League team, Gotham FC, as part of what the New York Post described as a "bread-and-circuses-like campaign."