The season of Honey Deuce cocktails at Flushing Meadows is upon us because the 2026 US Open essential draw will get beneath means in New York this Sunday.
This yr’s fourth and last Grand Slam will characteristic a few of the largest names in tennis and breakout gamers on the up and up, though there will even be some notable injured absentees.
Really useful Tales
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The mixed doubles title has already been claimed by Czech pair Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik on Wednesday night time after defeating Switzerland’s Belinda Bencic and Italy’s Flavio Cobolli.
Right here’s every part it is advisable to know in regards to the US Open essential draw:
The place and when is the US Open?
All the principle draw motion from August 30 till September 13 is on the USTA Billie Jean King Nationwide Tennis Heart in Flushing Meadows, simply exterior New York Metropolis.
The lads’s and girls’s quarterfinals start on September 8 , adopted by:
Girls’s singles semifinals: September 10
Males’s singles semifinals: September 11
Girls’s last: September 12
Males’s last: September 13
Who’re the highest seeds?
Girls’s singles:
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Elina Rybakina
- Jessica Pegula
- Coco Gauff
- Mirra Andreeva
- Karolina Muchova
- Linda Noskova
- Iga Swiatek
- Amanda Anisimova
- Elina Svitolina
Males’s singles:
- Alexander Zverev
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Alex de Minaur
- Ben Shelton
- Novak Djokovic
- Daniil Medvedev
- Flavio Cobolli
- Taylor Fritz
- Alexander Bublik
What are some main storylines?
- High-ranked Jannik Sinner withdraws: The World primary mentioned he was “very unhappy and dissatisfied” to withdraw from after being unable to get better from a proper knee damage that has sidelined him since profitable the Wimbledon title. The Italian pulled out of hard-court tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati that function a warm-up for the US Open.
- Carlos Alcaraz again in motion: The Spaniard will look to defend his title after a four-month hiatus from tennis as a consequence of a wrist damage, however Sinner’s absence means the gang is not going to see the beloved “Sincaraz” rivalry this time.
- Serena Williams, Alcaraz pair up for iconic blended doubles duo: Two generational greats teamed up for this yr’s blended doubles, though their star power faded as they fell to Cobolli and Bencic within the quarterfinal.
- Serena and Venus Williams obtain doubles wildcard: The 23-time Grand Slam champion acquired a girls’s doubles wildcard alongside older sister Venus. They’ve performed collectively on the US Open 9 instances, profitable in 1999 and 2009. Venus additionally acquired a wildcard for the ladies’s singles.
- 2016 champion Stan Wawrinka handed last-minute wildcard: The previous world quantity three was left off the preliminary listing of wildcard entries in his farewell season, however was handed the entry on Wednesday after a number of days of outcry from followers over his exclusion.
- Teen sensation Moise Kouame makes US Open debut: The 17-year-old made historical past at this yr’s French Open when he grew to become the youngest male Grand Slam winner in 17 years. Nevertheless, the Frenchman’s US Open debut ended within the qualifying spherical after defeat to Nishesh Basavareddy of the US.
- Novak Djokovic continues pursuit of elusive twenty fifth slam: The world quantity 5 Djokovic has been in relentless pursuit of a document twenty fifth Slam title since profitable his twenty fourth on the US Open in 2023. The Serbian’s ambition has repeatedly been examined by age because the 39-year-old struggled with stifling humidity at this month’s Cincinnati Open. Nonetheless, he reached the Australian Open last this yr in addition to the Wimbledon semifinal.
Is Roger Federer making a comeback?
No. The 45-year-old Swiss icon categorically ruled out a Williams-esque return.
His transient on-court look in New York this week was for primetime exhibition matches forward of a visit to Newport, Rhode Island to be enshrined within the Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame on Saturday.
Who’s prone to raise the trophy?
With Sinner out of competition, Alcaraz has a transparent shot at his title defence for a 3rd US Open win.
Wimbledon champion and prime seed Alexander Zverev will even be trying to carry momentum from his maiden Slam win in June, though the German was knocked out within the fourth spherical finally week’s Cincinnati Open.
Arthur Fils, seeded twenty third, may very well be a shock contender within the last 4 after the Frenchman defeated American Frances Tiafoe to clinch his maiden Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati final week.
Over on the ladies’s aspect, Gauff will look to defeat top-ranked Sabalenka for a repeat of her maiden US Open title in 2023, though the Belarusian can be eyeing a 3rd consecutive win in New York.
That being mentioned, the 28-year-old has faltered this season after a fourth spherical defeat in Cincinnati, the Toronto Masters, Wimbledon and a quarterfinal exit at Roland Garros.
World quantity two Rybakina is sizzling on Sabalenka’s heels for the highest spot with 8,141 factors to Sabalenka’s 8,575.
At 32, Jessica Pegula is the oldest prime 10 participant, however has been a finalist and semifinalist up to now two years and can look to proceed that on residence soil this yr too.
Russian teenager Andreeva bagged her maiden Slam title on the French Open this summer time and sits at a career-high world quantity 5, though a fourth spherical look in New York can be her deepest on the US Open.
Alex Eala of the Philippines can be a power to observe after the 21-year-old discovered her breakthrough with a maiden WTA title this month on the Washington Open.
She acquired a wildcard for the US Open blended doubles with Auger-Aliassime, though the duo fell within the first spherical to husband-and-wife duo of Gael Monfils and Svitolina.
Eala will headline the Stars of the Open exhibition occasion at Arthur Ashe on Thursday alongside younger gamers Joao Fonseca, Iva Jovic and Learner Tien.
What’s the prize cash this yr?
A document $108m prize pot is up for grabs this time:
Singles
Winner: $5.5m
Finalist: $2.8m
Semi-finalist: $1.45m
Quarter-finalist: $780,000
Spherical of 16: $480,000
Spherical of 32: $290,000
Spherical of 64: $190,000
Spherical of 128: $140,000
Qualifying Spherical of 32: $66,000
Qualifying Spherical of 64: $48,000
Qualifying Spherical of 128: $32,000
Doubles ($ per pair)
Winner: $1m
Finalist: $500,000
Semi-finalist: $250,000
Quarter-finalist: $125,000
Spherical of 16: $75,000
Spherical of 32: $45,000
Spherical of 64: $30,000
Who’re some notable absences this yr?
Alongside Sinner, Brazil’s Fonseca (ATP twenty sixth rating) and Briton Jack Draper (ATP 141st rating) can be absent from the boys’s aspect.
Emma Raducanu of Britain, world quantity 15 Victoria Mboko of Canada and Hailey Baptiste of the US, ranked 34rd, are different huge names who received’t be in motion.
