Throngs of fans have flooded the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens, this week to see the early rounds of the US Open.

This continues a recent trend: The tennis tournament has set attendance records every year since 2022, according to the USTA, which runs the US Open. This year’s turnout was likely boosted by its Sunday start date — the event traditionally begins on Mondays — as the tournament expanded from 14 to 15 days for the first time. During last week’s Fan Week, when the grounds were open to the public during qualifying matches, a record 230,000 people attended .

But another reflection of this surging demand is the rise in ticket prices, which have exploded over the past decade. Longtime tennis fans say they’ve felt the squeeze, both financially and spat

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