Matches normally start at 10am and last through the end of the scheduled matches of the day, so possibly 7pm or after. Bring your own bottled water and depending on the weather, your sunglasses and hats! In our case, we brought umbrellas for extra sun protection! It's also recommended to pack lightly since large bags may be confiscated. Actually all bags are checked so be careful with bringing any "unregulated" items. You'll be moving between crowds of people and between the ground courts so it pays to travel lightly.
If you plan on attending next year, I highly recommend printing out a schedule of the matches on the day of the qualifying tournament. It gives you the names of the players and the courts that they will be playing at - so it helps you to plan out your entire day. I would recommend bringing a foam seat cushion like those seen at baseball games. The bleacher seats can get quite hard especially after a few hours of watching the matches! And believe me, some of these sets are quite exciting and you don't want to lose your seat!! Especially at the grand courts. Also, bring lots of bottled water (all other drinks including sport drinks in plastic bottles are tossed out by the bag checkers) to avoid having to purchase at the food stands. I didn't buy any food there so I can't comment on the price of Heineken beer and Ben & Jerry ice-cream. Small quantities of outside food are allowed to be brought into the courts.
Here are some pictures of my day at the US Open Qualifying Tournament:
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