Tense applause turned into a mild eruption from the several hundreds of people who packed the bleachers around Court 13, one of the smaller venues at the U.S. Open.
J.J. Wolf, an American, pounded his chest and stared directly into the modest, cheering crowd after going up, 5-4, over Zhizhen Zhang in the first set of Monday’s opening round in Flushing, Queens.
About a half hour later, a much larger audience congregated to watch top-ranked Iga Swiatek at Arthur Ashe Stadium, which, with a capacity of nearly 24,000, is the largest tennis arena in the world.
Indeed, the U.S. Open was underway.
Monday marked Opening Day of the Grand Slam tennis tournament and once again offered one of the most unique experiences in sports. Spectators could choose between an intimate match like Wolf’s or a marquee spectacle like Swiatek’s, with only a short walk across the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center separating the events.
“It’s exciting,” said Lewis Kamin, 65, of Woodbury, Long Island. “You see all the players. You go to the back courts. You can walk around. You can see a couple sets of a match, go to another match, see some sets. It’s wonderful.”
Kamin was 16 when he began attending the U.S. Open annually with his father, who died last year. Kamin was joined Monday by his 37-year-old son, Steven Kamin, who joined in on the family tradition over a decade ago.
Wolf’s match began at 11 a.m. as one of the first events of the opening round. He lost in five sets. Meanwhile, the Polish-born Swiatek, who won last year’s U.S. Open, won in straight sets Monday over Maria Sakkari. An open roof exposed an overcast sky above Arthur Ashe Stadium, where a handful of fans came equipped with Polish flags.
One fan, 9-year-old Patryk Okla, sat courtside with a sign written in Polish asking Swiatek to practice tennis with him. At last year’s U.S. Open, Swiatek gave Patryk her racquet, hat and wrist band, he said.
Patryk and his father, Marcin Okla, plan to keep attending Swiatek’s matches in Flushing.
“We’re gonna be at every game here,” said Marcin Okla, who was born in Poland and now lives in Staten Island.
Beyond the stands, thousands of fans filled the Disneyland-like courtyard, where people lined up for autographs near the entrance and ESPN set up multiple broadcast stages. Attendees dined on high-end fare such as Pat La Frieda steak sandwiches, Italian delicacies from Eataly and the event’s signature cocktail, the Honey Deuce, a vodka-based drink featuring green honeydew melon spheres.
“It is a right of passage because the honeydew looks like tennis balls,” said Danielle Gilman, 24, of Murray Hill, who took off work Monday to continue her family’s five-year tradition of attending the U.S. Open. “You have to have it because it’s sweet and it’s fun and it’s hot out here.”
Many attendees traveled from out of state, including 30-year-old Ari Feinstein, who came from Cleveland to experience Opening Day.
“There’s bound to be good matches on a day when everyone’s playing,” said Feinstein, who spoke alongside his 33-year-old brother, Ben, an Upper West Side resident.
They witnessed Sloane Stephens’ back-and-forth loss in three sets Monday afternoon to Beatriz Haddad Maia, which took place at the complex’s No. 2 venue, Louis Armstrong Stadium. Attendance grew steadily throughout that match, with an electric crowd decidedly in favor of Stephens, an American who won the U.S. Open in 2017.
Chants of “Here we go, Sloane,” reverberated after the underdog Stephens tied the second set, 4-4. The fan-favorite earned a standing ovation after she ultimately won the set.
“I love her tenaciousness and I love her calm attitude and demeanor on the court. She’s just so solid,” said Pamela Greenwalt, a friend of Stephens’ coach who also instructed her daughter. Greenwalt had traveled from Naples, Fla., to attend her daughter’s ring ceremony at the West Point military academy, then went to Queens for the U.S. Open.
“Made a fantastic weekend out of it,” Greenwalt said.
The first round continues Tuesday, with Venus Williams, Jessica Pegula, John Isner and Andy Murray among those scheduled to compete.
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