Home favorite Coco Gauff began her US Open first round match in front of a sparse Arthur Ashe crowd amid fury over extortionate pricing for the 2026 tournament.
Gauff is a former champion and American tennis’ biggest star, but even a primetime placement for the 22-year-old couldn’t fill the 23,000-capacity arena in New York, with swathes of empty seats as she took to the court to face Zeynep Sonmez.
Tickets for the Tuesday night session on the US Open’s showpiece court have been selling for upwards of $500 on resale sites, with courtside seats still being listed for $2,900 even as play got underway.
When the match began, it appeared that fewer than half of the seats on Ashe were occupied, with the atmosphere extremely subdued as a result. As the match progressed into a second set, the arena began to fill to roughly 80% full.
Gauff’s match came after a rain-affected day session at the US Open, with a delayed start on the outside courts, followed by a few hours of play and then more rain.
The two courts with roofs – Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong – both completed a two-match schedule, but opted against moving any delayed outdoor action to the bigger courts before the night session.
Coco Gauff began her 2026 US Open journey in a primetime slot in front of a half-empty arena
The American former champion faced off against Turkish opponent Zeynep Sonmez
Fans have been complaining about the extortionate ticket prices at this year’s tournament
As a result, fans who had paid hundreds for the privilege of just getting through the gates in New York were forced to fork out more for Arthur Ashe, line up for unreserved seating at Louis Armstrong, or settle for watching the action on a big screen.
More rain is scheduled later in the week, and further delays could cause a headache for organizers as they scramble to fit multiple singles and doubles competition into the fortnight of action at Flushing Meadows.
The lack of fans on Arthur Ashe for Gauff’s match was noticed by plenty on social media, with one noting on X: ‘It’s VERY concerning how few people are in Arthur Ashe Stadium right now ahead of this Coco Gauff vs Zeynep Sonmez match.’
The match itself was an intriguing one, with the pair having never played each other in their careers to date.
As Gauff walked out in her Bose headphones, she was met by a half-empty Arthur Ashe crowd
Turkey’s top tennis star Sonmez serves against Gauff during her first US Open appearance
Gauff, the No 4 seed at the tournament, celebrates winning a point in her first round match
Sonmez has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the past few years, reaching an all-time high of 48 this year – the highest of any Turkish player in history.
Gauff, meanwhile, is a known quantity in these parts, having won the US Open in 2023 as a 19-year-old, beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final.
She comes into this year’s tournament as the No 4 seed, and off the back of an impressive run to the semi-final at Wimbledon in July.
The Florida native made light work of her opponent at the start of the match, racing to a 6-3 first-set advantage in just 33 minutes.
