A self-described tennis haven in New York City is under fire from fans after sidelining the US Open women’s semifinals in favor of trivia night and NFL football.
Thirty Love, a tennis-themed bar in the East Village that bills itself as the city’s first of its kind, frustrated tennis enthusiasts Thursday night by muting the TVs during a key match between Aryna Sabalenka and Jessica Pegula. Instead of match commentary — or even the players’ signature grunts — the bar played loud music and hosted a trivia night, while its biggest screen showed a Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles NFL game.
Haley O’Neill, a 39-year-old attorney visiting from Texas, said she and a friend had hoped to watch the match with fellow tennis lovers after hearing about the bar from Central Park’s tennis crowd.
“The theory was that when we came here, it would be very tennis-centric — a place to connect with other fans and cheer on the game,” O’Neill said. “I’m a little disappointed.”
Football took over the upper level of the bar, trivia dominated another, and none of the TVs had sound on for the tennis match — leaving patrons like Banou Arjomand, 28, frustrated.
“We came here specifically to watch tennis,” Arjomand said. “We searched for sports bars showing the matches. But trivia was too loud, and it wasn’t even tennis-themed. It’s sad.”
Her sentiment was echoed by Paul Knöpfle, who pointed out the irony: “Even the name of the bar is tennis-branded — ‘Thirty Love.’ But the atmosphere didn’t match.”
Not everyone at Thirty Love was upset, though. Some patrons were there specifically for trivia night, which the bar hosts weekly.
“We came for trivia,” said Lindsey Davis, 28. “But I did hope we could have the women’s semifinals on in the background.”
Bar owner Gabriel Aguilar acknowledged the criticism but defended the bar’s programming choices, saying trivia night has built a strong local following. He emphasized that Thirty Love still prioritizes tennis — but not exclusively.
“Tennis tournaments aren’t on every week,” Aguilar told The Post. “Between our two floors, we have nearly 20 TVs. Most of them are on tennis, but we’ll also have football — it’s the most popular sport in the country.”
Aguilar confirmed that tennis will take center stage again for the US Open finals this weekend. “The entire first floor will be showing the US Open with sound. The second floor will have football,” he said.
Manager Guillermo Rangel, 31, said the bar is still figuring out its identity and balancing its offerings.
“It’s all still an experiment,” Rangel said. “We want to give the neighborhood something every day of the week — not just tennis, but a full lineup of events.”
Thirty Love, which opened in February, had previously promoted itself as the go-to venue for the US Open, even serving its own version of the tournament’s iconic Honey Deuce cocktail. But for some tennis fans, Thursday night’s experience didn’t match the hype.