Teens toil as ballpersons at U.S. Open

As the U.S. Open tennis tournament ends, three Queens teens are finishing a unique summer job - for the past two weeks they have worked as ballpersons for the United States Tennis Association (USTA).
Western Queens residents Farouk Houssein, 17, Ivan Halpern, 18, and Jonathan Contreras, 16, each earned spots on the USTA rookie squad. All three teens - out of six wanna-be ballpersons - were profiled in The Queens Courier in June during the team tryouts.
In total, the USTA hires about 270 ballpersons each year to staff the matches.
“It’s was a really good experience, a lot of new friends,” Houssein said.
Only twice did Houssein remember flubbing - once he dropped the ball while retrieving it from the net but quickly recovered and another time he tossed a ball past the intended recipient and into the crowd.
Houssein put in about 10 days at the Open, which is scheduled to run from Monday, August 27 through Sunday, September 9, but had to leave the squad early to start his freshman year at Long Island University’s CW Post in Brookville.
However, the time that he worked left him with more than just new pals.
“All of the hours that I put in I’m sure I made a decent amount for myself. I’m sure I have enough to setup a little bank account,” Houssein said. In addition, ballpersons get to keep their Polo uniforms - including shirts, shorts, and sneakers.
“It was an added bonus to the fun that we had,” he said.
His job has also given him a new appreciation for the sport.
“Before I started working there, I thought tennis was pretty boring and now I sit down and watch TV and put on the matches,” he said.
Halpern also envisioned tennis to be a rather simple game.
“I’ve been watching it so much lately … It definitely takes a lot more work than it appears. They really make it look a lot easier,” he said.
While working, Halpern spotted tennis stars Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Jelena Jankovic, and was able to work matches in the Grandstand and Louis Armstrong stadiums.
“Federer, he has he most beautiful backhand I have ever seen,” he said.
In his free time, Halpern has begun his first classes at Hunter College, where he plans to study psychology, and work as an assistant manager for a marketing company.
Still, he hopes to put in 20 days (including the qualifying rounds) at the Open by the end of the tournament.
If possible, both Houssein and Halpern said they would love to serve as ballpersons again.