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Events and Attractions

Tennis Fans Snap Up U.S. Open Tickets In Anticipation Of Serena's Grand Slam

With her calendar-year Grand Slam within reach at the U.S. Open, the perception is that "all eyes are on" Serena Williams, and ticket sales for the tourney "show that the fans agree," according to Ava Wallace of USA TODAY. The '15 Open is the "first in history in which the women’s final sold out before the men’s, and the first time since 2009 that attendance exceeded 300,000 throughout the tournament’s first five days." The first week in N.Y. also saw "five consecutive sellout sessions, and interest has grown as the tournament continues." USTA Chief Revenue Officer Lew Sherr said that the organization "sells most of its tickets before Wimbledon, but Williams' impact has become clear on the secondary market." According to data from SeatGeek, by the time Williams beat her sister Venus to "get to the semifinals, average ticket prices for Saturday’s final tripled from where they were at the start of the tournament, from $587 to $1,529." Those interested in watching the final from the lower bowl in Arthur Ashe Stadium "will need to shell out at least $3,000 a ticket." USTA BOD Chair, President & CEO Katrina Adams said that the crowd is "noticeably more diverse at the Open this year, particularly in the more expensive seats" (USA TODAY, 9/11). 

NATIONAL TREASURE: In N.Y., Michael Steinberger writes the state of American tennis "is a source of perennial hand-wringing among tennis commentators." But when walking the grounds in Flushing Meadows, it is "hard to detect much frustration among fans about the diminished American presence at the top of the rankings." Most of the 38,580 attendees on one afternoon last week "were there to have fun and to see great tennis, irrespective of nationality." The biggest "expression of allegiance ... was not to any country but rather to Roger Federer." Federer is Swiss, but "wherever he plays, he’s embraced by fans as one of their own." It is "fair to say, too, that tennis fans are more inclined to look past national identity than fans of many other sports." British spectators at Wimbledon "pull harder for British players; ditto for French spectators at the French Open and so forth." But "generally speaking, patriotic sentiment exerts a much weaker influence in tennis than it does elsewhere" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/11). ESPN's Brad Gilbert said, "The sport has become so big that when you have iconic stars, they can rise above being non-American. But for American fans, we would love to see an (American) guy in the top five” (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 9/11).

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