The U.S. Open has been quietly releasing hundreds of face-value tickets during the tournament, often without formal announcement. These random drops occur at times when resale prices have skyrocketed, with markups reaching thousands of dollars. A U.S. Tennis Association spokesman confirmed this is standard practice, releasing tickets held for player requests, partner allocations, and miscellaneous needs when they're not being used.

The tournament released about 250 tickets for Wednesday's evening session featuring Alexander Zverev versus Botic van de Zandschulp, and additional face-value tickets for men's semifinals earlier in the week. Amanda Sivils, who bought four tickets in May for her mother's special trip from California, described the initial ticket release as 'frustrating' when she learned of the subsequent drops. Kevin Kreindel, who drove from New Jersey after purchasing tickets early, called the practice 'probably not fair' to those who overpay on resale sites.

Marc Ajel, who secured a $655 face-value ticket for Section 119, noted resale prices exceeded $1,300 for the same seats. The key to finding these releases is monitoring for 'blue dot tickets' on Ticketmaster, which indicate official sales rather than resale listings.