A women’s tennis star was not happy with the crowd’s behavior at the U.S. Open this year.
The quarterfinals round of the U.S. Open is underway for the men’s singles and women’s singles on Tuesday. The Round of 8 will continue on Wednesday, before the semifinals on Thursday and Friday. The title matches will take place on Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon. More than 1 million fans are expected to attend the U.S. Open over the course of the two-week tournament.
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The U.S. Open is often described as the best atmosphere in tennis. Arthur Ashe Stadium, which seats more than 20,000 fans, is the biggest venue in the sport. New Yorkers flock to Flushing Meadows in Queens each year to watch the sport’s best. So, too, do tourists from around the globe. The vibe inside of Ashe – or Louis Armstrong Stadium, the tennis center’s other major playing arena – is typically viewed as the loudest in the sport.
While some players live up to that atmosphere – Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, among others, have often called Ashe at night their favorite venue in tennis – others do not, feeling the pressure.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 31: Anna Kalinskaya of Russia returns a shot against Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil during their Women’s Singles Third Round match on Day Six of the 2024 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on August 31, 2024 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Anna Kalinskaya, a 26-year-old women’s tennis star from Russia (which is not officially recognized by the U.S. Open), lost in the third round of the U.S. Open on Saturday night.
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The ex-girlfriend of men’s No. 1 seed Jannik Sinner fell to No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek, 7-6, 6-4, in the third round. Following her loss, she called out fans at the U.S. Open.
Kalinskaya calls out U.S. Open fans
Kalinskaya, who reached a career-high rankings of world No. 11 in singles on 28 October 2024, took to her Instagram page – where she has close to 500,000 followers – to call out U.S. Open fans.
She wants them to be “nicer” next year.
“🌃🍎🥲 next time be nicer please🙏🏽,” she wrote.
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The U.S. Open has been rowdier than normal
I attended the U.S. Open on Sunday night and Monday evening, seeing matches at Arthur Ashe both evenings. Fans are rowdier than they have been in the past. There’s less tennis etiquette and more just big-game sports crowd energy. Fans are talking during the action, getting out of their seats while players are serving and more.
You’ve even seen two fans at the U.S. Open attempting to steal things from players.
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While there’s no excuse for poor fan behavior, the most mentally tough tennis players are typically the ones that will experience the best success. Players like Alcaraz and Jessica Pegula of the United States feed off of the crowd’s energy. Others, like Kalinskaya, don’t seem to be fans of it.
The 2025 U.S. Open, meanwhile, will continue on Tuesday evening, featuring a big-time match at Ashe, when No. 4 Taylor Fritz takes on No. 7 Novak Djokovic.
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Sep 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Tennis section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.