By Maria Tsvetkova

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The U.S. Open is on track for a fourth straight year of record-breaking attendances, with fans granted free access on Thursday as a decade-old tradition aimed at welcoming newcomers beyond the usual tennis faithful continued.

The day extended the spirit of the “Fan Week” – the Grand Slam tournament’s opening free week, which drew nearly 240,000 visitors, up from 216,000 last year, and featured the mixed doubles tournament this year.

Paul Lucenara, who lives close to the famed venue in Flushing Meadows, caught a bit of men’s doubles semi-final action from the last row of Louis Armstrong Stadium – his first live tennis match.

“This is the first year that I watched tennis closely and I got to understand, how the scoring works, how the game works. It’

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