Ashe at night is the loudest room in American tennis: twenty-odd thousand seats, the roof open, and a crowd that has had all afternoon to get into it. Friday is third round, the stage where seeded players either start looking like contenders or quietly go home in four sets. The night card is scheduled separately from the day session, which is exactly why the board's afternoon listings do not cover it.
What to expect
Gates for the evening open an hour before first serve. You get two singles matches on the main court, plus grounds access to the outer courts, the practice courts and the food village. The stadium fills slowly through the opening match and is at full volume by the second, which regularly runs well past midnight when it goes the distance.
Good to know
- The evening card is a separate sitting - an afternoon ticket does not admit you to the night matches, and vice versa.
- Arthur Ashe Stadium has a retractable roof, so the scheduled night matches play through rain while the outer courts wait.
- A stadium seat doubles as a grounds pass once you are inside, covering the outer courts and the south plaza.
- The subway's Flushing line to Mets-Willets Point empties onto a boardwalk that walks straight into the grounds; the LIRR stops there on tournament days as well.
- Bag size is capped and every gate screens, so travel light and leave full-size backpacks at home.
- Second matches can run past midnight - check the last train home before you settle in.
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Common questions
Is the night session the same ticket as the day session?
No. Day and evening are separately ticketed sittings in Arthur Ashe Stadium. A day ticket admits you only until early evening, and an evening ticket will not let you in before the day session has cleared out.
What round plays on Friday night?
Third round of the men's and women's singles draws. The third round runs across Friday and Saturday this year, with the round of sixteen following on Sunday and Labor Day Monday.
Does rain wipe out the night session?
Not in Ashe. The stadium's retractable roof closes and the scheduled matches play as booked. Rain delays hit the uncovered outer courts, not the main stadium card.
