The first-ever Roland Garros watch party in New York was better than watching the tournament on my couch. Hana Chong Paris is always a good idea, but in this economy, Paris isn't always an option. Luckily, US tennis fans not willing to shell out for the sport's most prestigious clay-court tournament have a cheaper (read: free) alternative in New York City. The inaugural Roland-Garros NYC Experience, hosted by streaming partners TNT Sports and HBO Max, promised to transport tennis fans to Paris as the official watch party of the French Open . I grabbed my best tennis-fan friend, Hana, and scoped out the event in Manhattan's historic Seaport. After attending, I did see some similarities between this watch party and the US Open, which I've been to twice. Besides being in the same city as the US Open , the watch party was also held the week that US Open tickets went on sale. Here's what I saw. The shaded viewing section was the perfect place to sip a drink and watch live tennis.…