The US Open Fan Week began on Sunday, August 23rd and until September 13th it will lead to Flushing Meadows hundreds of thousands of people. According to estimates from the organizers and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), more than 1.2 million spectators are expected during the three weeks of the event at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. This year’s program lasts 22 days: the main board will begin on Sunday 30 August and will end on 13 September with the male final. The USTA presents it as the longest program in almost a hundred and fifty-year history of the tournament, with seven days of free entry Fan Week and another free day on September 10.
The MTA has increased the service of Line 7, which connects Manhattan to Mets-Willets Point, the closest metro station to the tennis centre. From 24 August there are additional races after the last game of the day at the Arthur Ashe Stadium: additional trains will travel as expressed by Mets-Willets Point up to 74th St-Broadway and from there will continue making all stops up to 34th St-Hudson Yards. A further service is provided when tennis matches coincide with the New York Mets home matches at nearby Citi Field. It will happen several times already during the Fan Week and in the first days of the main board, including the game of the Mets scheduled Tuesday 25 August.
The overlap between the two events is also one of the reasons why both MTA and USTA recommend avoiding the car. Parking spaces around Flushing Meadows are limited and, on the days when playing the Mets, drivers are directed to areas other than those normally used for the tournament. The official parking costs $40 for cars and 80 for buses. The USTA indicates public transport as a preferred solution in its guide to reach the tournament.
The fastest alternative to Manhattan is Long Island Rail Road. Port Washington Branch trains reach Mets-Willets Point both from Penn Station and Grand Central Madison, with a journey of about 19 minutes. Those arriving from the other lines of the LIRR can change to Woodside, from which it takes about seven minutes to reach the National Tennis Center. The CityTicket is available for all travel within New York: during the tournament, the MTA indicates a $5 fee in off-peak hours and $7 in peak hours, which can also be purchased through the TrainTime app.
Also on LIRR the service has been modified to absorb the traffic of the US Open. Until Friday, September 11, four trains of the Port Washington Branch in the early morning hours will make an additional stop at Mets-Willets Point, as well as four trains in the evening band. The MTA also added two races: one at 18:11 from Grand Central to Port Washington and one at 19:08 from Port Washington to Grand Central. The insertion of the first involves a change for the usual commuters: the train of 18:06 from Grand Central will not stop at Flushing Main Street, Murray Hill, Broadway and Auburndale during the period concerned.
For those arriving from other areas of Queens there is also the Q90, the bus connecting Flushing to LaGuardia Airport passing through Seaver Way. In the direction of Flushing stops at Seaver Way and Roosevelt Avenue, a short distance from the entrance to the tennis center; in the direction of LaGuardia also stops at Seaver Way and 35th Avenue. For Access-A-Ride, MTA and USTA users have prepared a specific climb and descent point near the Champions’ Entry. The races must be booked one or two days before, between 7 and 17, indicating to the operator that the destination is the US Open.
As in recent years, the collaboration between MTA and USTA will also be felt by the speakers. The pre-recorded announcements of Billie Jean King and Patrick McEnroe, broadcast along line 7 and the main stations used to reach the tournament, including Grand Central and Times Square. It is the most visible part of a transport organization that mainly concerns the hours after the evening sessions, when thousands of spectators leave the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the same time. The MTA recommends to check the updates in real time before leaving, especially on the days when the tennis calendar coincides with the Mets.
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