There are certainly worse places to spend a sunny September afternoon than watching the world’s best tennis players in Queens.

Like Midtown, for instance.

The continuing chaos surrounding the Republican National Convention – the crowds, the protests, and the overwhelming police presence – has so far failed to hurt attendance at the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, just a 7-Train ride away from Times Square.

In fact, the convention may have helped as much as hurt. Devoted out-of-towners are choosing to simply skip Manhattan rather than miss the Open, while Midtown office closures during the convention have given casual fans an excuse to slip away to Queens.

Official attendance figures for the first three days once again topped the 150,000 mark, down only slightly from last year’s record-breaking first week crowds. Attendance during night matches, when the convention has been in session, has even exceeded last year’s totals. U.S. Open officials estimate that only 60% of ticket-holders live in the tri-state area (N.Y., N.J., and Connecticut), suggesting that tourists haven’t been dissuaded from coming.

Of course, the cavernous Arthur Ashe Stadium can look empty any time it isn’t at full capacity, and ushers were busy the first few nights dispensing so-called “yellow tickets” upgrading ticket holders in the upper tier to choice seats closer to the court (and within the frame of USA Network’s cameras.)

But the convention has made its presence felt in other, annoying ways. New security measures banning backpacks, briefcases and knapsacks have made for long lines stretching from the entrance all the way back to the subway trains, inspiring much grumbling.

“These were instituted because of the convention and at the recommendation of the police,” said U.S. Open employee Andres Borowiok. “If people who were unaware of these changes are upset, you’ve got to understand you’re living in a different day and age now.” The new security measures will stay in place after the convention ends, however.

As far as inconveniences go, that paled compared to the prospect of commuting to and from Manhattan.

“We’re from Boston,” said Open regulars Pat and Tom Valentine, “and we just went through this.” They flew in for the Open, as planned, but are staying at a Sheraton in Flushing and choosing to stick to the neighborhood’s profusion of ethnic cuisine rather than risk Manhattan’s restaurants.

“It’s not even the protesters,” said Pat Valentine. “It’s just the crowds and the confusion. Can I even get out of Penn Station right now?”

Some residents seized the opportunity the convention has given them – a week’s worth of “snow days” for workers whose offices are in the shadow of Madison Square Garden – to take in a few day sessions. “I’m here because my business is closed all this week,” said Dr. Roy Geronemus, a physician with offices on West 34th Street who spent Wednesday and Thursday at the Open with his family. “Any other year I could only be here in the evenings or weekends.”