There was ample street parking at the U.S. Open, only spitting distance from the courts. Admission was free to see some of the best tennis players in the world. There were plentiful seats and it was easy to move about the grounds, which are tucked into a park in the heart of — the Bronx?

Yes, the U.S. Open is in the Bronx, too.

Each day during the U.S. Open, tens of thousands of fans pay high prices to cram into the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, Queens. But a small part of the tournament is also staged 10 miles away in a bucolic section of the Bronx, where the junior qualifying event is held at the gleaming Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in Crotona Park.

Alex Olmo, who lives nearby on 172nd Street, was walking his dog, Joey, through the park on Thursday when he stumbled upon two players crushing tennis balls back and forth. It was noticeably different from the practice sessions he normally sees there.

“Whoa,” he exclaimed, “they are really playing.”

The event is scheduled for only two days each year, when 64 junior players compete for 16 coveted spots, eight each for boys and girls, in the U.S. Open main singles draws. But during that time, fans can watch up close for free, without having to wait in line for a seat or pay hefty prices for a grounds pass, though there is no place to get a Honey Deuce cocktail.