Black players have helped make tennis feel bigger, younger and more culturally connected. At the US Open, that invitation extends beyond the court, with vendors and programming designed to welcome new audiences.
“I think that’s a beautiful thing about the sport of tennis; it’s just ageless,” said media personality Kyle L. Jones, who was at the US Open during the first week of events to host a Divine Nine game show. “You know, anybody can come out here and enjoy the sport.”
Jones, also known as “KyleOnTheMic” and the “Millennial Hype Man,” and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated, said hosting the event was a great opportunity for all attendees to meet new people, learn more about tennis, watch the sport and see the future of the game.
“We had different members of the Divine Nine organizations compete head-to-head to answer HBCU, Divine Nine and tennis-related questions,” he said. “The winner was a young man representing his fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma, and he was awarded $1,500 for playing today, so that went back to his chapter.”
If you’re not at matches at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, you can watch on TV or streaming, follow players and US Open updates on social and learn about the events happening inside the arena so you can experience the fun and be in on the game — maybe in preparation for being there IRL in 2027. And be ready to spot celebrity fans, like Travis Scott, sitting courtside in the private suites throughout the stadium, hosted by major brands like IHG, Cadillac and more.
“We’re always trying to reach new audiences and bring new people into the US Open in general to try to grow tennis,” exclaimed Tom LaDue, Director of Corporate Communications for the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Consider this your handy guide on who and what to know for the 2026 US Open.
Where It’s Happening
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, is home to the US Open Tennis Championship.
The center features 22 outdoor hard courts with three main US Open show courts: Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium and Grandstand. If you are attending matches in person, it’s important to know where and what session, day or night, your favorites play. Announcers also mention the courts if you’re watching on television.
Tennis 101: A Quick Guide
The four major tennis tournaments, also known as Grand Slam tournaments, include the Australian Open (Australia), Roland Garros (France), Wimbledon (England) and the US Open (United States). A calendar Grand Slam occurs when a player wins all four major tennis tournaments in the same year.
Each tournament comprises 128 spots available in both the men’s and women’s singles main draw. Of those, 104 spots are direct entries for the world’s highest-ranked players; 16 are qualifiers, players who advance through the pre-event qualifying tournament; and eight are wild cards, players selected by tournament organizers.
The US Open features five primary main-draw competitions, including Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Additional competitions include Junior and Wheelchair Events. Information about the tournament bracket progression and how the game is played, including scoring points and winning sets, is available online.
At the simplest level, players win points to win games and games to win sets. Tennis points progress from love (zero) to 15, 30, 40 and game. Women’s singles matches are best-of-three sets, while men’s singles matches at the US Open are best-of-five. The first player to win the required number of sets wins the match.
Fan Week, the first week of the tournament, ran from August 23 through the 29, offering a chance to experience the event for free, but adults needed to register for a Fan Access Pass to visit the grounds and activities.
The Mixed Doubles competition changed its original format, scheduling and prize structure in 2025 and has kept that format this year. The qualifiers and main draw for Mixed Doubles now happen the first week of the tournament instead of during the singles competition.
The US Open’s main singles draw started August 30 and runs through September 13.
The Players Everyone Is Talking About
This year, fans had the opportunity to see dynamic duo Serena Williams and Carlos Alcaraz compete together in the first week of the US Open in the Mixed Doubles competition. While they didn’t win, there’s still a chance to watch both players compete again in the tournament. Serena and her sister Venus Williams received a wild card to play in the upcoming Women’s Doubles Championship. Alcaraz, the defending men’s champion, will play in the Men’s Singles competition.
Fan-favorite tennis stars to watch this year include Taylor Fritz, Taylor Townsend, who hosted her “40 Love” soirée at Sei Less in New York City this past weekend, Jessica Pegula and Frances Tiafoe.
Coco Gauff, who broke out at Wimbledon in 2019 as the youngest player ever to qualify for the main draw and reach the fourth round at 15, and later won the 2023 U.S. Open, the 2024 French Open doubles title and the 2025 French Open singles title, is scheduled to open her 2026 U.S. Open run on Tuesday, September 1, facing Zeynep Sönmez in her first‑round match.
But There’s More Than Tennis…
Returning for the fifth year, The Nourish Spot, the mother-daughter-owned business founded by Dawn Kelly and Jade Duncan, is ready to fill the bellies of players and spectators alike at the venue. Launched as a healthy food spot in Southeast Jamaica, Queens, “The Nourish Spot is a Black family-owned juice, smoothie, and salad bar that my daughter, Jade Duncan, and I founded with a vision of bringing healthier food options to Southeast Queens,” shared Kelly, co-founder and CEO.
Since opening in 2017, The Nourish Spot has grown from its flagship location in Southeast Jamaica, Queens, to a concession at JFK Terminal 8 and a seasonal activation at the U.S. Open, but its mission has remained the same: bringing fresh, healthy food to the communities and venues it serves. “We love being at the U.S. Open because it gives us the opportunity to share fresh, flavorful, and healthy food with tennis fans from around the world while representing the community where our journey began,” Kelly continued.
“Having diverse vendors represented at major events like the U.S. Open is important because food is a reflection of culture and community, and for some guests, this may be their first opportunity to experience the flavors and culture we bring to the table. This representation also helps satisfy the various backgrounds and palates of attendees.
With its signature drink, the Honey Deuce, made with Grey Goose vodka, lemonade, raspberry liqueur and topped with melon balls, the US Open offers plenty of food and beverage options.
A Sport for All
The organization also runs programs designed to make tennis more inclusive. The US Open “Be Open” social responsibility platform was launched in 2020 “to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities; emphasize tennis’ commitment to inclusion and respect; and encourage fans around the world to embrace these ideals.”
“We’ve continued to build on that platform really as a social impact opportunity for us to highlight our commitment globally to inclusion, to all of our values around respect and around celebrating diverse cultures and communities, and welcoming them into both the U.S. Open, as well as to tennis in general,” said Marisa Grimes, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for the USTA.
Grimes’ team plans events and activations throughout the three weeks of the tournament that highlight diverse communities representing different cultures in New York.
“This year is all about celebrating our New York story, so that is our theme for the U.S. Open this year, which for me, from an inclusion standpoint, gives us a perfect sort of backdrop to be able to showcase and highlight the diverse cultures that make up New York City that come to the tournament,” she said.
This includes programming on the Fan Week stage. Activations that have happened at the tournament so far have included a traditional Chinese lion dance that opened Fan Week to bring good luck to the tournament and players, showcasing Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures; a Double Dutch performance; a game show event highlighting and celebrating the National Pan-Hellenic Council, the historic “Divine Nine” African American fraternities and sororities; a dance performance by Somos Latin dance; and many other performances that took place on the Fountain Plaza Stage. Open Pride, which recognizes the LGBTQ community, takes place at the US Open on September 3.
HBCU Live, an annual event that celebrates the culture, history and legacy of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their ties to the sport of tennis, takes place on September 2.
“We see people who are now coming out specifically to attend events like HBCU Live,” said Grimes. “We saw a great crowd on Monday because people are now aware that we do all of this Asian American and Pacific Islander programming and we do the Chinese lion dance, and so we see those communities now coming out to the U.S. Open because they are proud to see their cultures represented and their heritages being celebrated in this way.”
“This is our sixth year for HBCU Live, and it started as a way for us to, one, recognize some of the HBCU pioneers that were connected to tennis, so Althea Gibson, of course, who broke the color barrier in tennis,” Grimes said. “She was a FAMU [Florida A&M University] alum.”
She said they also wanted to celebrate David Dinkins. “Mayor David Dinkins, who was on the board of the USTA and also was a Howard alum,” Grimes said. “He had just recently passed.”
Grimes said that under the HBCU Live umbrella, the US Open directs money to funds like the USTA David N. Dinkins HBCU Coaching Grant, established to support the growth and sustainability of HBCU tennis programs and coaches. They also have giveaways and activities with Jack and Jill of America.