For two weeks late in August, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens becomes the center of the world’s attention. This is when the US Open is held (as well as a free Qualifier Tournament and week) where 128 of the world’s top men and women (those whose ATP or WTA rankings have just missed out on a spot in the main draw) try their hand at winning a Grand Slam title in what is arguably the biggest tennis event of the year.
The main tournament starts Sunday August 24, with Round 1 getting stretched out to three days instead of the usual two. Beyond that, the usual second-week schedule remains intact — quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.
Getting the timing right for matches can be tricky — there isn’t always any sure way to predict when a particular match will start. That’s because scheduling is at the discretion of the tournament director and a variety of other factors, including whether a player is in the “top” or “bottom” half of their draw; whether it’s a Day or Night session; and even decisions about which courts will be scheduled for a specific match, not made until the day prior to play.
For that reason, it’s a good idea to download the official US Open App (search on app stores for “US Open Tennis”) and check that daily for a detailed Schedule of Play for each court. Then you’ll be able to make your game plan on the fly and know precisely where to be when the match you care about is scheduled to begin.