US Open Tennis 2026: Schedule, Prize Money, and How to Watch on TV

Every August, Flushing Meadows becomes the center of the tennis world for two and a half weeks. The US Open draws players and fans from every corner of the globe. It closes out the season as the final Grand Slam of the year.

It is the largest tennis event in the world by capacity and attendance, played on hard courts inside a public park in Queens. Knowing how the tournament runs, its schedule, its prize money, and where to watch it makes following along easier. That holds whether watching from a seat inside Arthur Ashe Stadium or a couch on another continent.

Making Sense of the Draw

The Phases of the Tournament

Understanding the US Open schedule starts with knowing which phase of the tournament is actually in play. The 2026 event spans three weeks once Fan Week and qualifying are counted alongside the main draw.

Fan Week opens the tournament with free grounds admission, qualifying matches, and Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day. The main draw follows with 128 players in each singles field, narrowing round by round from the first round down to a single match in the final.

Qualifying happens ahead of the main draw, with 128 hopefuls playing for just 16 spots across three rounds. That stage draws smaller crowds and gives visitors a more relaxed way to see rising players up close.ge

The Mixed Doubles Championship also runs during Fan Week now. That format change gives fans a marquee match ahead of the main singles draw.

Match Times and Format

Match start times shift by court, too. Play on the outer courts typically begins around 11:00 a.m., while Arthur Ashe Stadium day sessions start closer to noon. That difference matters for anyone building a day around one match.

Men’s singles matches are best-of-five sets, while women’s singles matches are best-of-three. That difference shapes how a five-set match can run past three hours.

Choosing the Right Ticket

• A Grounds Pass covers the outer courts and Louis Armstrong Stadium on a first-come basis.
• A stadium ticket reserves a seat inside Arthur Ashe for one specific session.
• Night sessions carry their own separate ticket and do not include daytime grounds access.

Tickets sold outside official channels carry real risk, since resale platforms cannot guarantee authenticity for a specific session. Buying through the tournament’s official ticketing partner remains the safest route, especially for finals weekend.

What is at Stake in Prize Money

US Open prize money has grown faster than almost any other event in professional sports. The 2025 tournament paid out $90 million total, the largest purse in tennis history and a 20 percent increase over the year before.

The 2025 singles champion earned $5 million, with the runner-up taking home $2.5 million. Earnings drop for earlier rounds, though even first-round losers received six-figure checks.

The US Open has paid equal prize money to men and women since 1973, the first Grand Slam to do so. That commitment has remained in place even as the overall purse has more than doubled over the past decade.

Doubles teams share a separate prize pool, smaller than singles but still substantial for the top finishers. Since 2015, total US Open prize money has grown by more than 113 percent, a pace few other sports have matched.

2026 prize money has not been made public, though the total purse has grown in most recent years.

The tournament itself dates to 1881, making it one of the oldest championships in the sport. In 1970, the US Open became the first Grand Slam to introduce the tiebreak, a change that gave matches a far more predictable length.

How to Watch on TV and Streaming

Catching the US Open on TV means knowing one name: ESPN holds the tournament’s domestic broadcast rights through 2037, under a 12-year, $2.04 billion deal. Coverage airs across ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC, with ABC carrying the middle Sunday and both singles finals.

Every court streams live through ESPN+, giving viewers access to matches that never reach television, including many outer-court matchups. Cord-cutters can subscribe to ESPN+ directly or through a bundled plan.

International viewers should check their region’s rights holder. ESPN’s deal covers the United States and Latin America, while other countries carry the tournament through separate broadcasters.

A Few Things First-Time Visitors Tend to Miss

• Late August in New York runs hot and humid most afternoons, and the outer courts offer little shade beyond a few covered sections. Sunscreen and a hat go further than most people expect.
• The Honey Deuce, a vodka and lemonade cocktail topped with melon balls, has become almost as recognizable as the tennis itself, alongside rotating chef pop-ups across the grounds.
• Unlike Wimbledon, the US Open has no strict dress code for fans, so comfort matters more than formality.
• Arriving early for morning practice sessions on the outer courts is an easy way to see top players outside a ticketed match.
• Flushing Meadows Corona Park surrounds the tennis grounds with more to see than tennis alone. The Unisphere, a relic from the 1964 World’s Fair, sits a short walk from the entrance.
• Reaching Flushing Meadows takes some planning too. Getting to the event from the airport can take anywhere from 20 minutes to over an hour, depending on traffic and the exact terminal.

Everything Comes Together on Court

Between the schedule, the prize money, and knowing where to watch, most of the guesswork around a first US Open visit disappears. What’s left is picking a session and letting the tennis take over.

Every match still carries the same balance that has defined the tournament since 1881. A public park in Queens hosts the sport’s biggest names, with equal pay on both sides of the draw. The stage is large enough for both smaller outer-court matches and a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Confirm the exact session rather than just the date, buy tickets through official channels, and build in extra time for the trip. Tennis takes care of the rest.