The U.S. Open men’s tennis final got off to a slow and confusing start on Sunday as thousands of fans were forced to wait outside Arthur Ashe Stadium because of enhanced security for President Trump’s visit.
The match, between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, was supposed to start at 2 p.m. It was initially delayed 30 minutes, and then another 15, and ultimately did not start until 2:48 p.m., with hundreds of people still waiting to get through security.
Mr. Trump entered the back area of the luxury suite at the center of the stadium in Flushing, Queens, at about 1:45 p.m. and spoke to several people as fans slowly filed in. There was little demonstrable cheering or booing when Mr. Trump entered the main seating area at 2:30 p.m. for the national anthem.
But when he was shown on the video screens, fans unleashed a loud round of mostly boos, with some cheers mixed in. The president was on the screens only briefly, as he stood and saluted.
Mr. Trump was inside a suite along one of the sidelines of center court, opposite the umpire’s chair and directly under a sign that read “Arthur Ashe Stadium.” The world’s largest tennis arena, the stadium holds more than 23,000 people and was named for Mr. Ashe, the first Black U.S. Open men’s champion and a social justice advocate.
With T.S.A.-style security slowing the normal entry process, many fans spent roughly 30 minutes waiting in line to gain access.
“There’s just a lot of confusion and chaos,” said Alma Alcantara, a financial adviser from Austin, Texas, who has been to the last 10 U.S. Open tournaments.
Ms. Alcantara said that fans had been given small deodorant bars as promotional gifts from Dove, but then had to surrender them at security.
“Kind of a lack of communication,” she said.
David Waldstein is a Times reporter who writes about the New York region, with an emphasis on sports.
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