September 9 – The 2024 US Open tennis championship attracts over 1 million fans to the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the first time.
Top-seeded American Taylor Fritz lost to world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the men’s final on Sunday, a day after sixth seed Jessica Pegula lost to second seed Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus in the women’s final.
The number of fans attending each U.S. singles final has increased 8% from last year’s record of 832,640 fans, according to the United States Tennis Association.
Among the many celebrities in attendance at the men’s final were Taylor Swift, her boyfriend Travis Kelce, and his Kansas City Chiefs teammate Patrick Mahomes.
Fritz, seeded No. 12, is the first American man to reach the final of the year’s final Grand Slam tournament since finishing runner-up to Andy Roddick in 2006, and the first American male finalist at any major event since 2006.
“I think the fans, the American fans, have wanted a men’s championship for a long time, and … I was very disappointed with my match,” Fritz said after losing in straight sets on Sunday. “I feel like, I don’t know, I feel like I disappointed a lot of people.”
Prize money for the 2024 US Open reaches a record $75 million, with Sabalenka and Sinner each receiving $3.6 million in championship bonuses.
——Visual-level media
