Shaded Seats at Miami Open Grandstand

The Miami Open is half of the prestigious Sunshine Double held every spring. Grandstand is the secondary court at the Miami Open tennis grounds and is located south of Hard Rock Stadium. South Florida is known for its heat and humidity and it gets toasty even in March! Tennis fans should use this guide along with the stadium seating chart to locate the best shaded seats at Miami Open Grandstand.

Where Are the Seats in the Shade at the Miami Open?

At the Miami Open Grandstand, shaded seats are generally:

• Baseline, South Side: A few seats adjacent to the press box are shaded
• Sideline, West Side: Shaded after approximately 5:30 PM

Matches at the Miami Open begin daily at 11:00 AM at the outer courts, including Grandstand. The sun doesn’t set in South Florida until approximately 7:00 PM at this time of year. That’s many hours of tennis action in the Florida heat!

This article focuses on Grandstand. The main court at the Miami Open is Stadium Court, but given the size of the Miami Open, many highly ranked tennis stars are scheduled on Grandstand as well. The cool thing is that Grandstand, a smaller stadium, gives fans get a chance to see their favorite stars up close in a more intimate atmosphere.

Miami Open Grandstand Orientation to the Sun

All courts at the Miami Open except Stadium Court are oriented in a slightly off-axis north to south orientation. For Grandstand, this orientation means the sun is over the southeast corner of the stadium when the first match begins in the late morning. It swings behind the south side of the court around 2:00 PM and as the afternoon progresses, the sun dips behind the west side of the stadium and eventually sets near the northwest corner.

The graphic below shows the approximate location of the sun throughout the day on March 20th.

Click or tap to see a seating chart for the next session at Grandstand Court

Seats in the Sun and Shade at Miami Open Grandstand Matches

The brutal truth about Grandstand is that shade is virtually non-existent here for most of the day. The press box casts a shadow over a small number of reserved seats behind the south baseline — but that’s about it! Grandstand has no roof or canopy of any kind and all seats are exposed to the elements. For tennis fans sensitive to the sun, the best option for day sessions may simply be to purchase tickets on Stadium Court, which has many more afternoon shade options.

Early in the afternoon, the sun shines from the south, and the press box on the south side of the stadium provides some cover for seats in sections 7-9. Those farthest from the court and closest to the press box are most likely to get any shade. The rest of the stadium will be sun-soaked for the entire afternoon.

Around 5:30 PM the sun will dip low enough in the sky that seats on the west sideline will become shaded. The best bet for shade at this late hour is in sections 11-15. Shade will move from back to front, meaning seats farthest from the court will become shaded before those that are courtside. The sunniest seats are in east sideline sections 1-5. Fans in these seats will have the sun in their eyes during sunset.

Unlike the main court inside Hard Rock Stadium, every seat at Grandstand Stadium is completely exposed to the sun.
Leonard Zhukovsky / Shutterstock.com

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