New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has responded to public concern over surging U.S. Open ticket prices by securing 1,000 “affordable” tickets for the tournament, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to local residents.Later on Tuesday, Mamdani will announce that New York City residents will be able to buy $100 tickets for main-draw matches taking place between Aug. 30 and through Sept. 8, which would appear to give New Yorkers the chance to buy tickets until the quarterfinal stage of the competition.The tickets made available will include seats in the two biggest show courts, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, as well as grounds passes. Tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium will also grant spectators access to general admission seating on Armstrong and all other courts; tickets to Louis Armstrong Stadium will also grant spectators access to general admission seating on all other courts except Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is fully ticketed.The tickets will be available from 10 a.m. ET, Wednesday Aug. 26. In order to be eligible, buyers must have a certified NYC zip code.Crucially, the tickets will not be eligible for resale through Ticketmaster, the tournament’s secondary market platform. This is where prices have been soaring, with grounds passes going for between $240 and $478 as of Tuesday morning, despite the face-value price for the cheapest being $65. All the tickets in Mamdani and the USTA’s initiative have a face value of $100 or more.The cheapest resale seat in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the opening day — when buying a pair — is up to $344 on resale, while courtside seats are over $1,000. There is no cap on resale prices. In other industries in which rampant resale markets are problematic, including live music, some acts have blocked uncapped secondary markets.