Ticket Prices For Serena’s Next U.S. Open Match Double To Over $500 Following Upset

Topline

Ticket prices for Serena Williams’ third-round singles match at the U.S. Open on Friday skyrocketed after she upset No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit on Wednesday night, with fans willing to pay up to see the 23-time Grand Slam champion in what she’s said will be her final tournament.

The crows cheers on Serena Williams after her Wednesday win.

Key Facts

Tickets for Williams’ Friday evening match at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York start at $530, a 143% increase over the last 24 hours, according to TicketIQ, an aggregator of secondary ticket sales data.

Secondary ticket marketplace TickPick reported an even more dramatic increase, telling Forbes third-round ticket prices have jumped 221% since Wednesday night, with tickets starting at $565.

The median price for tickets to the match is now $796, Julia Young, spokesperson for ticket marketplace Vivid Seats, told Forbes.

Tickets for the U.S. Open’s third round are more than 900% pricier than they were in July, before Williams announced she planned to retire following the U.S. Open, TickPick said.

TicketIQ President Jesse Lawrence called the rise in prices “insane” and “unprecedented” in a phone interview, predicting that U.S. Open tickets will be the most expensive this year since the platform began tracking the event in 2011 if Williams continues to advance.

Williams still needs to win four more times to reach the final, but the average secondary ticket price for the match currently stands at $1,972, according to TicketIQ – more than double the 2019 record of $940.

“These are Super Bowl-type prices,” TickPick spokesperson Kyle Zorn said in a phone interview.

Key Background

Williams announced August 9 in a Vogue essay she planned to retire after the U.S. Open. If she can win the tournament, in what would be her first Grand Slam title since 2017, it would be a dramatic end to her career, tying Margaret Court’s Grand Slam record. The 40-year-old is by far the highest-earning women’s tennis player ever, with $92 million in on-court earnings. Through her various endorsements and investments, Forbes estimates Williams has accumulated a fortune of $260 million, making her one of the wealthiest self-made women in the country. Numerous celebrities have watched Williams play in the U.S. Open, including former President Bill Clinton, golfer Tiger Woods and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.

What To Watch For

Williams will play with her older sister Venus Williams in a doubles match Thursday night. Ticket prices for that match have risen 24% since Wednesday night, according to Vivid Seats, ranging from $226 to $5,380.

Big Number

$568. That’s the average secondary ticket listing to attend the U.S. Open, according to TicketIQ, an 87% increase since Serena Williams announced her retirement.

Crucial Quote

“There’s no guarantee she’s going to get there, but the market’s certainly pricing as if she will,” Lawrence said about skyrocketing prices for the women’s final as fans cross their fingers to see Williams one last time on the biggest stage.

Surprising Fact

Oddsmakers aren’t as bullish as ticket buyers on Williams chances: FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings SportsBook each give Williams 14-to-1 odds to win the tournament, the sixth and seventh best odds of all competitors on the respective sites.