Aryna Sabalenka Faces Empty Arthur Ashe Stadium Amid Rising US Open Ticket Prices

Previously, an $800 million worth major renovation project and a 20% increase in purse money were the biggest talk of the town. However, as we enter the singles rounds, the attention shifted to the price fans must pay to watch the world’s best players compete in the last Grand Slam of the season. The USTA reported a 10% increase in ticket sales over last year. But year-over-year, tickets have notoriously become practically unaffordable for most. Check out the reported soaring prices for yourself:

After missing out on three majors this year, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka entered the Arthur Ashe Stadium yesterday as a favorite. However, in her very first matchup against Rebeka Masarova, the Belarusian had a big surprise waiting. One fan, Liviefromparis, tweeted the fact, “It’s Sunday in New York, the World Number 1 Aryna Sabalenka is playing on Arthur Ashe and it’s EMPTY. Cheapest tickets cost $200…. absolutely inaccessible for most people. How is it acceptable?”

Sabalenka had to start her defense in front of a court that was 55% empty, according to reports. Even on a Sunday, a holiday, the Centre Court of Flushing Meadows is scarcely filled, while one of the biggest favorites of the tournament gets her campaign underway. Well, the ticket prices probably had a role in it. The resale tickets are still available on the Ticketmaster website for the evening session on Sunday, signifying how the fans have stayed away from the courts on the first day.

And even though the cheapest tickets are not exactly $200 at the Arthur Ashe Arena, the minimum prices being shown start from $135 per person, which will only increase with the increasing levels in the event.

While the support was clearly lacking, Sabalenka easily swept her first opponent in Flushing Meadows, winning 7-5, 6-1 over Masarova. Although the support was audibly and visibly lacking, the World No. 1 still thanked the ones present in the court. She ignored the few empty seats and shared a few pictures from Sunday on her Instagram account. She captioned the post, “NYC, thank you for the warm welcome. I’m so happy to be back on this court, you gave me goosebumps ♥️.”

Well, the defending Champion got down to business as she tries to end the season on a high note. And she brought some new fashion moves to the court.

Top Comment by Caramelchica39

@Cafeaulait-Ditto!

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The same old Aryna Sabalenka, the brand new Aryna Sabalenka

The grunts, the power, the dominance – it was Aryna Sabalenka picking up from where she left off in 2024. Against her Swiss challenger, the Belarusian registered a 77% win on 1st serve, and 63% win on 2nd serve. With 15 net points won (88%), the 2-time Australian Open Champion has also shown she is moving well. That kind of well-rounded performance will come in handy when she goes deep in the tournament.

But there was something new about the same old Sabalenka: her stylish see-through equipment bag. The Tennis Letter also caught it as they shared Sabalenka’s interaction with the post-match on-court interviewer, Pam Shriver.

With that, the news outlet also shared a pic of the bag on X, an artistically done red-striped, totally transparent equipment bag. When asked, Sabalenka said, “I brought the idea and the wonderful Wilson team brought it to life. It’s always been a dream of mine to work with Wilson and Nike and create something special, like my unique pieces. I really hope you guys like it.🐯❤️”.

Day 1 and Aryna Sabalenka is already turning heads, with her strokeplay and her fashion statements. Now, that’s how you start a US Open campaign. Next, she will go against Polina Kudermetova in R64. Hopefully, she will find more support then.