Free mixed-doubles star power during Fan Week

Celine Wallenhorst walked into Louis Armstrong Stadium for the first time on Aug. 19 and saw history for free.

- David Waldstein

NEW YORK - Celine Wallenhorst walked into Louis Armstrong Stadium for the first time on Aug. 19 and saw history for free.

There, on the court below, Venus Williams teamed up with Reilly Opelka in the US Open's new mixed doubles event, an updated format that brought out some of the best players in matches that are usually contested by relatively unknowns in front of a few hundred fans.

Wallenhorst, a school teacher living in New York, made the spontaneous decision to watch a roster of stars for the price of a subway ride.

"It's actually pretty incredible," she said, "because everything in New York is so expensive, but this is free."

Traditionally, the week before the main tournament, known as Fan Week, features the qualifying rounds, a low-key roster of singles matches among lower-ranked players competing for the last spots in the Open.

Fans are allowed in for free and the week has evolved into a crowded, but still affordable, attraction.