INTERNATIONAL: Andy Murray was the first big seed to fall at the US Open. He managed to push Stefanos Tsitsipas to a fifth set, but lost that last set 6-4 to crash out of the tournament, but the biggest headline out of Flushing Meadows on Monday wasn’t what was happening on court, but rather that there were actually people watching it.

The pandemic has kept fans away for two years, but the pavements and stands of Flushing Meadows were brimming with spectators again this week, even if they had to show proof of vaccination to attend. Fans were united in simply feeling lucky to be able to be back, watching their favourite sport.

"When we got our tickets, I just about cried just thinking about being back. But I feel outside, I feel safe and the vaccine thing was huge to feel like it's okay to be here."

"My kids are tennis players. So they love the game. They've been playing for a while. And we just come as a family. It's good for the kids. And we can enjoy it. It's kind of like a mini vacation, I guess, in a sense."

"It's fantastic. We didn't stop playing tennis, but we don't play at this level. So we like to come and see if we can improve our game. But it feels great, great to see people back and it's just the energy of this place. It's is, a very happy place."

A mask mandate has not been enforced by the US Tennis Association, but spectators are being advised to wear one if they attend a packed stadium or find themselves in a crowd, a recommendation which everyone seems happy to go along with.

^{PHOTO : FANS AT FIRST DAY OF THE US OPEN 31/08/2021}