US Open apologises for ‘unfavourably’ describing tickets to women’s semifinals

'Women’s sport is not second-class'

(AFP/Getty Images)

Organisers of the US Open tennis tournament have apologised for “unfavourably” comparing tickets to the women’s semifinals on its website to the men’s.

The championship, which begins on 26 August, recently launched a competition for those registering for 2019 access and stated that the “grand prize” was to see the men’s semi-finals.

“And if you don’t win the grand prize, don’t worry, there’s more!” the online statement continued. “You will also have the chance to win 2019 women’s semifinals tickets and a photo on court!”

On Wednesday, tennis coach Judy Murray, whose son is tennis champion Andy Murray, tweeted about the competition and alluded to its poor wording, which implied that winning a ticket to the women’s game was somehow inferior.

“This looks great @usopen. Until you come to paragraph two,” she wrote.

Murray’s tweet has prompted others to complain about the discrepancy.

“It’s 2019 FFS [sic],” wrote one person. “I have two little girls and they are not a runner-up prize.”

“Big fail @usopen,” added another Twitter user. “Women’s sport is not second-class, the runners-up prize or in anyway inferior. Really disappointed this is your attitude. Change it, it’s soooo out of date.”

Another argued that the runner-up prize was “clumsily put”.

The wording on the website has since been changed to read: “And if you don’t win the grand prize, don’t worry, there’s more! You will also have the chance to win tickets to other sessions plus a photo on court!”

Additionally, the United States Tennis Association, which runs the US Open, has issued a statement on its website apologising for its previous language.

“While describing the prizes in the Ultimate US Open Experience, the language used inadvertently compared the men’s and women’s semi-finals unfavourably,” it read.

“The US Open is proud of its long tradition of gender equity and we sincerely apologise for not adequately describing the differences in the prize packages.”