Tennis stars take court at US Open kicking off in Flushing Meadows
FLUSHING MEADOWS, QUEENS (WABC) -- The season's last Grand Slam tournament, the U.S. Open, gets started on Monday with some of the biggest names in tennis - about a year after two even bigger names walked away from the sport.
The Day 1 schedule includes Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff on the women's side, and Novak Djokovic and Frances Tiafoe on the men's. And many more, of course.
No one carries quite the star power of Serena Williams, whose last event was the 2022 U.S. Open, or Roger Federer, who announced his retirement shortly afterward.
The No. 1-ranked Swiatek, a 22-year-old from Poland, won the championship in Arthur Ashe Stadium a year ago and she will be back in that arena to begin the 2023 edition of the event against Rebecca Peterson of Sweden on Monday.
That will be followed by Tiafoe, a 25-year-old from Maryland, against Learner Tien, a 17-year-old from California. Tiafoe reached his first major semifinal at last year's U.S. Open.
The night session in Ashe will be led off by Gauff, a 19-year-old from Florida, against Laura Siegemund of Germany, who won the women's doubles title in New York three years ago. Gauff was the runner-up at the French Open in singles - losing to Swiatek - and doubles in 2022.
Wrapping things up in the main stadium will be 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic against Alexandre Muller of France, who is making his U.S. Open debut. It marks a return to the event for Djokovic, who missed it last year because he couldn't travel to the United States as a foreigner who is not vaccinated against COVID-19. That rule has been dropped.
The first round is played over Monday and Tuesday. The tournament lasts two weeks and wraps up with the women's singles final on Sept. 9, and the men's singles final on Sept. 10.
Tickets vary in price, some starting at over $2,000 for the men's final. Many tennis fans wait until the tournament is halfway through to buy a grounds pass for under $50.
If you're worried about parking, New York City Transit President Richard Davey says the 7 train can be a smart choice to get to Queens, and runs every three minutes during rush hour.
The U.S. Open will be televised on ESPN and over Labor Day Weekend, some of the matches can be watched on abc7NY.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
