You're sitting on your couch in Queens, or maybe you're tuning in from a pub in London, staring at a blank screen because the US Open start times just don’t seem to align with what you read on the official bracket an hour ago. It happens every year. The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is a chaotic, beautiful mess of logistical nightmares and elite athleticism.
Tennis is one of the few global sports where the clock is basically a suggestion.
Most people assume that if a match is scheduled for 11:00 AM, the balls are in the air at 11:01 AM. Nope. Not at Flushing Meadows. Between the humidity of a New York August and the sheer length of a five-set men's marathon, the schedule is more of a living document than a fixed itinerary. If you're trying to plan your life around the US Open start times, you have to understand the "Day Session" versus "Night Session" divide, which is where most of the confusion starts for casual fans.
The Brutal Reality of the Day Session
The gates generally swing open at 9:30 AM. Fans pour in, smelling of expensive sunscreen and optimism. But the actual US Open start times for the first round of matches on the outer courts are almost always set for 11:00 AM ET.
Why 11:00? It gives the grounds crew enough time to handle the overnight cleanup and ensures the broadcast partners—usually ESPN in the States—can kick off their morning coverage with live action. If you’re heading to the grounds, being there at 11:00 AM is essential if you want to catch the rising stars on Court 17 before the bleachers turn into a furnace.
But here is the catch.
If the first match on Louis Armstrong Stadium goes to a third-set tiebreak in the women's draw, the second match isn't starting anywhere near its "estimated" time. I’ve seen fans wait three hours past the scheduled slot because two baseline grinders decided to play a three-hour slugfest. This "follow-by" system is the bane of the organized traveler’s existence. You aren't just watching a match; you’re watching a domino effect.
Arthur Ashe Stadium and the TV Window
Arthur Ashe is a different beast entirely. Because it has the roof, it’s the only court where you can take the US Open start times somewhat seriously. The Day Session in the big house usually kicks off at 12:00 PM ET.
Usually, this consists of two matches.
If those matches finish early—say, a double 6-1, 6-2 blowout—the stadium just sits empty. They won't pull a match from an outer court and move it into Ashe just to fill time, mainly because of ticketing complexities. It’s weird. You’ll have 23,000 empty seats while people are literally climbing fences to see a match on Court 4.
When the Night Session Actually Begins
The night session is the crown jewel of New York sports. It’s louder. It’s drunker. It’s also incredibly unpredictable.
The official US Open start times for the night session are 7:00 PM ET. That sounds straightforward, right? Not really. If the day session on Arthur Ashe runs long—which it frequently does when a men's match goes to five sets—the USTA has to "clear the house." They kick everyone out, clean the stadium, and then let the night ticket holders in.
There have been years where the "7:00 PM" match didn't actually start until 9:30 PM.
Think about that for a second. You’re a player. You’ve warmed up at 6:00 PM. You’ve eaten your pre-match pasta. Then you're told you have to wait two and a half hours because Carlos Alcaraz is stuck in a fifth set with a qualifier. It’s a mental grind. For the fans, it means you might be taking the 7-train back to Manhattan at 2:00 AM.
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Honestly, the 2:00 AM finish is a badge of honor in New York.
In 2022, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played a quarterfinal that didn't end until 2:50 AM. That is the latest finish in the tournament’s history. When you look at the US Open start times, you have to view them as the earliest possible moment a match could begin, not the definitive one.
Why the Heat Policy Changes Everything
We have to talk about the Extreme Heat Policy. New York in late August is basically a swamp.
When the wet-bulb globe temperature hits a certain threshold, the tournament referees can implement a 10-minute break between sets, or even suspend play on the outer courts. This throws the US Open start times into a blender. If you see a "Heat Rule" notification on the US Open app, just double every wait time you were expecting.
Navigating the Schedule Like a Pro
If you’re trying to track this in real-time, the "Order of Play" is your bible. It’s released every evening for the following day.
- Check the "NB" (Not Before) times. This is the most important acronym in tennis. If a match is listed as "NB 5:00 PM," it means that even if the court is empty at 3:00 PM, they won't start that specific match until 5:00 PM. It’s the only way to guarantee a window for TV and fans.
- The "To Be Arranged" (TBA) Trap. Sometimes the USTA will list a match as TBA. This usually happens late in the first week. It means they’re waiting to see which match becomes the most "marketable" for the evening slot.
- The Double-Up. On rainy days, the US Open start times might be moved up to 10:00 AM on the outer courts to catch up.
Most fans get frustrated because they treat a tennis match like a football game with a 1:00 PM kickoff. Tennis is more like a flight schedule during a thunderstorm. You have to be fluid.
Broadcast Shifts
In 2026, the way we consume these start times is even more fragmented. With streaming services taking larger bites of the pie, you might find that a match on Court 12 starts at 11:00 AM, but the broadcast doesn't "go live" until the main window at 1:00 PM. Always check the individual court streams if you're a die-hard fan.
The transition between the morning and afternoon matches is where the real "expert" fans make their move. While everyone is lining up for a $20 Honey Deuce cocktail at 1:00 PM, the savvy fans are moving to the smaller courts where the third match of the day is just beginning.
Actionable Steps for Managing the US Open Schedule
Don't just show up and hope for the best.
First, download the official US Open app and enable "Player Alerts." This is the only way to get a push notification the second your favorite player walks onto the court. The paper schedules they hand out at the gate are usually obsolete by noon.
Second, if you have a night session ticket, don't arrive at the gates at 7:00 PM. Arrive at 6:00 PM. You can't get into the stadium yet, but you can wander the grounds with your night ticket and soak up the atmosphere of the day session matches that are inevitably running late on the side courts.
Third, understand the geography. Moving from Arthur Ashe to the Grandstand court can take 15 minutes through the crowds. If you see a match you want to watch is "In Progress" and in its second set, you need to start moving then, not when the set ends.
The US Open start times are a guide, not a contract. Embrace the chaos of the New York schedule, bring an extra phone battery for the long waits, and remember that the best tennis often happens long after the sun goes down and the official clock has lost all meaning.
Keep an eye on the weather radar specifically for the Flushing area, as cell-specific rain can halt play on outer courts while Ashe stays perfectly dry under the roof, creating a massive disparity in how the tournament progresses through the draw. Plan for the 11:00 AM start, but prepare for the midnight finish.