On Sunday afternoon, President Trump made a rare appearance at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in the Queen’s area of New York City to watch the men’s singles final of the US Open. It had been a decade since he last attended the US Open final, and accompanying the President were White House officials and Trump’s family.
Trump arrived at 1:45 pm, just 15 minutes before the scheduled 2:00 pm start of the match. Due to the presence of the President, the organizers implemented the highest level of security measures resembling airport security checks. Spectators had to pass through two metal detectors and undergo a manual inspection. The crowd at the entrance was bustling, and even by the official start time at 2:00 pm, there were still many fans who had not entered.
The US Open officials made a last-minute announcement to delay the match, and the final between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz began at 2:40 pm.
In the final, Alcaraz emerged victorious over his opponent, securing his second US Open title.
As Trump entered the presidential box, he waved to the audience, causing a mix of cheers and boos among the spectators. During the singing of the national anthem and breaks in the match, when the big screens switched to display Trump’s image, the audience’s reaction was equally divided. Some fans complained that the President’s visit caused inconvenience, while others believed it was fantastic for the President to attend the US Open.
It is reported that the United States Tennis Association (USTA) had already requested television broadcasters not to show the audience’s reactions to the President before Trump arrived, in order to avoid disrupting the match. The last time Trump watched the US Open men’s singles final was in 2015.
Accompanying Trump on this trip were US Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other top officials. Also present were his son-in-law Kushner, granddaughter Arabella, and Rolex CEO Jean-Frederic Dufour in the presidential box.