Tennis fans wasted no time chasing one of the hottest bargain offers tied to the U.S. Open.
Roughly 300,000 people flooded an online ticketing site Wednesday, all hoping to land one of just 1,000 discounted U.S. Open championship tickets made available through an agreement between tournament organizers and Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The lottery opened at 10 a.m. and, within only three minutes, had generated a massive waiting list of 336,573 would-be spectators trying to snag the coveted seats for $100 apiece, according to a screenshot obtained by the Post.
The overwhelming demand quickly sent frustrated fans into a tailspin online.
“267979 people in front of me in the us open ticket line MAMDANI DO SOMETHING” said one fan on X.
“Mamdani, I love you, but you need to stop advertising things so much. I have yet to win a lottery you’ve created. They get so bot-ted up,” another user complained.
Mamdani promoted the U.S. Open ticket partnership with the United States Tennis Association on Wednesday as he also announced the completion of 10 newly resurfaced tennis courts at a Bronx recreation center.
“Just as we made it possible for New Yorkers to watch the beautiful game up close throughout the World Cup, we have also partnered with USTA to make 1,000 discounted tickets available for New Yorkers to do the same at the U.S. Open,” Hizzoner said before the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the upgraded courts.
“Those tickets went on sale about 12 minutes ago, and they’re probably sold out,” he added.
The ticket deal is the first time the city has made a deal to give out lower cost ticket to the US Open. But its only the latest in an ongoing bread-and-circuses-like campaign by Mamdani, who in recent months sponsored $50 tickets for World Cup matches and $15 tickets for a match by the National Women’s Soccer League team, Gotham FC.
The tickets were only for NYC residents, and it wasn’t clear if the huge online crowd trying to get their hands on them was actually all from the city, as there was no ID requirement to just get in line.
The tickets will provide lucky winners with access to main draw matches – which kick off Aug. 30th and run through Sept. 8th. The coveted passes offer New Yorkers seats at at least one of the tournament’s signature stadiums – Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong – along with grounds passes and general admission to other courts.
The $100 tickets aren’t eligible for resale on ticketmaster — where seats for main draw matches are re-selling starting at over $250.
“We want as many people as possible to experience tennis and the US Open, and this additional Main Draw ticket access for New Yorkers only strengthens that commitment,” USTA CEO Craig Tiley said in a press release announcing the ticket launch.
