Player stardom has always had an effect on ticket sales during a tennis match, and it seems Alexander Zverev caught the short end of the stick in that regard during his semifinal day at the US Open. The men’s singles semifinal in New York saw the top seed take the court against Karen Khachanov in the day session, which was followed by the all-American clash between Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe in the night session. Despite both matches being Grand Slam semifinals, there was a huge difference in the ticket prices, as pointed out by tennis insider Ben Rothenberg.
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“The Tiafoe-Shelton prices are still about 10x higher and aren’t cracking nearly as much,” said Rothenberg on X. “(And the day session that Zverev-Khachanov is weighing down even comes with an additional women’s doubles final.)”
Rothenberg shared images showing the ticket prices for both matches, and although the ticket price for the Shelton-Tiafoe match fell by 24 percent in three days, the current price was still north of $300, even for upper-tier seats, which remained above the tournament average of $296 at the start of the main draw on Aug. 30. Meanwhile, the day session tickets, which included the Zverev-Khachanov match, were found for only $35, with some of the upper-tier seats available for as low as $25.
Front Office Sports, too, reported that the get-in price for Zverev’s session had dropped as low as $28 despite having touched the $300 mark at the start of the main draw two weeks ago.
Per Sports Business Journal, for the Shelton-Tiafoe clash: “That price is up 13% from last year, but is down 27% over the past three days and over the past seven.” Meanwhile, for the Zverev-Khachanov match, SBJ said: “The noon session is significantly cheaper with a get-in price of $53 to see No. 1 Alexander Zverev face Karen Khachanov. That price is down 82% over the past three days, 81% over the past seven and 93% from last year.”
For fans, individual preferences often trump players’ achievements when it comes to which player they support. Even though Zverev is a top seed and a former runner-up in New York, the German’s game style is rather robotic, involving long and grinding baseline rallies, with the occasional spark of aggressive stroke play. On the other hand, both Tiafoe and Shelton have unique game styles, with the former having a good amount of variety in his drop shots and the latter having the appeal of a serve that can clock over 140mph.
Moreover, one can argue that Zverev’s ticket prices have fallen due to what players like Shelton and Tiafoe have done at the 2026 tournament. An all-American semifinal clash also ensures a home favorite in the final, giving the tournament a chance to have an American men’s champion for the first time since Andy Roddick’s title run in 2003. Also, the wins by Shelton and Tiafoe in their previous rounds will have increased the interest in their match. While Tiafoe came back from two sets down against Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinal, Shelton secured the biggest win of his career by beating Carlos Alcaraz in a five-set epic.
Despite losing in the popularity contest against the likes of Tiafoe and Shelton, Zverev will look to win the on-court battle against either of them, as the World No.2 won his semifinal and reached the US Open final for a second time.
Having secured a straight-set victory over Karen Khachanov in the semifinal, Zverev reached his second final at Flushing Meadows, and his third consecutive Grand Slam final this year. The German’s form had not been great during the events in Canada and Cincinnati, and he had to scrape through five-set matches in his earlier rounds in New York. However, he peaked at the right time, winning his last four matches in straight sets.
With a chance to play against either Shelton or Tiafoe in the final, Zverev has already sent a warning to the American crowd that he will give his best to halt the American dream. This will be the Germans’ sixth Grand Slam final, while either of the American players will be playing in their first, and they will face huge pressure to perform in front of the home crowd.
What’s even more striking is that Zverev has a phenomenal record against both his potential final opponents, with a 9-1 record against Tiafoe and a 5-0 record against Shelton.
So, the German might have come up short in the popularity contest against the American players, but one would think there would be no reason for Zverev to complain should he win the contest on court on Sunday.