The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens, New York, and has hosted the US Open since 1978. Arthur Ashe Stadium, opened in 1997, seats 23,771 spectators and is the largest tennis-specific stadium in the world. A retractable roof was added in 2016 after years of rain delays that disrupted the tournament schedule. Louis Armstrong Stadium was rebuilt and reopened in 2018 with 14,053 seats and its own retractable roof, giving the US Open two covered showcourts.
Arthur Ashe Stadium is named after Arthur Ashe, the first Black man to win the US Open (1968), the Australian Open (1970), and Wimbledon (1975). The stadium’s scale is unlike any other venue in tennis: the 23,771-seat capacity is nearly 9,000 more than the next largest Grand Slam showcourt. The original Louis Armstrong Stadium, which served as the main court from 1978 to 1997, was demolished and replaced by the current structure on a nearby site. The complex also includes the 2,500-seat Grandstand court and numerous field courts where early-round matches create the chaotic, multi-court viewing experience that defines the first week of the US Open.
The venue has hosted some of the most dramatic moments in modern tennis. The 2001 US Open, held just weeks after September 11, carried enormous emotional weight, and the tournament’s decision to continue became a symbol of New York’s resilience. Pete Sampras won five titles at Flushing Meadows between 1990 and 2002, including his final career Grand Slam in 2002. Serena Williams won six US Open women’s titles between 1999 and 2014. The night session atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium, with its proximity to LaGuardia Airport flight paths and the Manhattan skyline beyond the upper deck, is one of the most distinctive settings in world sport.
New York operates on Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), UTC-4 during the late August and September tournament window. Day sessions start at 11:00 local time, which is 16:00 in London and 17:00 in Paris. Night sessions begin at 19:00, corresponding to midnight in London and 01:00 in Central Europe. Check New York time or United States time for current local time at the venue.