US Open 2026: 8 Days Are Totally Free — And Most Fans Don't Know the Trick
-- reading | Updated:
The biggest tennis party on Earth just started in New York — and there's a loophole that gets you through the gates for $0 while everyone else pays hundreds.
El US Open 2026 va del 23 de agosto al 13 de septiembre; 8 de esos 22 días tienen entrada gratuita, según usopen.org.
The US Open runs Aug 23–Sep 13 at Flushing Meadows, and eight of its 22 days are free — the seven Fan Week days (Aug 23–29, qualifying starts today) plus "Open for All Day" on Sep 10. You need a free Fan Access Pass for Fan Week, and if you want a paid seat later, Arthur Ashe tickets start at just $43 on Ticketmaster.
Qualifying matches kicked off Monday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and fans across the country are searching for one thing: how to get in without emptying their wallet. The good news is that 2026 is the most fan-friendly US Open in its near-150-year history — 22 days total, with more free access than ever before.
The Free Days Nobody Talks About
Everyone knows Fan Week (Aug 23–29) is free — but it requires the new Fan Access Pass, which costs nothing yet needs registration with a unique email for everyone 18 and older. One pass covers all seven days and lives in your phone wallet. The secret eighth day is what almost everybody misses: Thursday, September 10 is "Open for All Day," with free grounds admission right in the middle of the main draw — you can catch doubles semifinals without paying a dime (the women's singles semis that evening are separately ticketed).
If You Want a Real Seat: From $43
All ten multi-session ticket plans are already sold out, but individual sessions remain. Ticketmaster's advertised entry points: Arthur Ashe Stadium from $43 (the only ticket that gets you into every court), Grounds Pass from $65, Louis Armstrong from $139 and Grandstand from $180. Day and evening sessions are always separate tickets. Beware of resale markups — the USTA warns that usopen.org, Ticketmaster and the on-site box office are the only official channels.
This week also brings the can't-miss exhibitions: Roger Federer returns to Arthur Ashe on Tuesday, Aug 25 alongside Roddick, Agassi and McEnroe, the Mixed Doubles Championship runs Aug 25–26, and "Stars of the Open" lands Thursday, Aug 27 — those three events do require separate tickets even during Fan Week.
What It Means for You
Register your Fan Access Pass today to catch qualifying rounds on Courts 4–17 this week, where future champions play feet away from fans. Want the finals? Women's final is Saturday Sep 12, men's final Sunday Sep 13 — expect those to cost hundreds and disappear fast.
