The U.S. Open tennis major will expand its main draw to 15 days in 2025, beginning on a weekend for the first time in the Open era.

Next year, the main draw will begin on Sunday, a day earlier than the usual Monday opener. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) said the Sunday start will offer main-draw access to an additional 70,000 attendees.

It said that the decision for expansion was taken following a third consecutive year of extraordinary demand and record-breaking attendance in 2024.

“With more planned main draw competition days than ever and Fan Week featuring six days of free grounds admission prior to the main draw, the 2025 U.S. Open is set to offer the most access for fans in the event’s 145-year history,” the USTA said in a statement on Wednesday.

The 2025 U.S. Open will be held from Sunday, August 24, to Sunday, September 7, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center at Flushing Meadows in New York.

The first rounds of the men’s and women’s singles will be played on the opening three days from Sunday to Tuesday.

Opening Sunday will offer six new ticketed sessions – day and night sessions for reserved seats in both Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, and day session tickets for Grandstand reserved and Grounds Admission.

“No further adjustments to the singles main draw schedule after the first round are planned,” the USTA news release said.

The U.S. Open is the latest Grand Slam to announce a Sunday start after the Australian Open expanded to a 15-day tournament in 2024, and the French Open first did so in 2006. Currently, grasscourt major Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam with the traditional Monday start.

Last year at the U.S. Open, world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus won the women’s singles title after beating American Jessica Pegula in the final, while top-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy was named the men’s singles champion after defeating local hope Taylor Fritz.

The U.S. Open, a hardcourt major, is the final Grand Slam of the season after the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.