For the first time at the US Open, Louis Armstrong Stadium will host evening session matches starting from 2018, according to the USTA.
The 14,000 seater stadium will now host day and night matches in a new move announced by the USTA on Tuesday. Until now the US Open has only held day and night session matches on Arthur Ashe, which have started at 11:00 and 19:00 local time.
Speaking of the Arthur Ashe stadium, the USTA announced another change at this year’s US Open which sees only two day session matches instead of the usual of three matches. Play will now start at noon for the day session instead of the traditional 11am start.
Louis Armstrong will have three day session matches and will start at 11am for the first nine days of the tournament. Half of Louis Armstrong stadium will be reserved while the other half will be available to ground admission holders.
Here is the statement from the USTA:
US Open announces that new Louis Armstrong Stadium will have its own night session (like MCA does in Melbourne), and that half the seats will be open to grounds pass holders. pic.twitter.com/dssCllETfz
— Ben Rothenberg (@BenRothenberg) February 6, 2018
Both Ashe and Armstrong have retractable roofs, hence the new scheduling that was announced by the USTA which is expected to increase the revenue from the tournament.
The defending champions at the US Open are Rafael Nadal and Sloane Stephens.
