The U.S. Open begins in earnest Sunday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka out to defend their crowns in Queens.
This year’s singles tournament at Flushing Meadows is a little shorter on star power than usual, but there is still no shortage of storylines leading up to the women’s final on Sept. 12 and the men’s final on Sept. 13.
Here’s everything you need to know as the last grand slam event of the year gets underway at the UTSA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
ALL ABOUT ARYNA
Sabalenka seeks to become the first women’s player to win three consecutive U.S. Open titles since Serena Williams from 2012-14 and only the third in the modern era.
Chris Evert won four in a row from 1975-78.
“I was growing up looking up to them, and I loved the way they dominated the tour,” Sabalenka said of Evert and Williams. “So if I would be able to put my name kind of, like, slightly next to them, that means a lot to me.”
Sabalenka, 28, is the No. 1 player in the WTA rankings and has advanced to the U.S. Open final in each of the previous three years.
After losing in the 2023 final, Sabalenka defeated a pair of Americans — Jessica Pegula in 2024 and Amanda Anisimova last year — to hoist back-to-back trophies.
The Belarusian-born Sabalenka seeks her fifth major championship overall, but she is yet to win one this year. She finished as the runner-up at the Australian Open in January before failing to make even the semifinals at Roland Garros or Wimbledon.
CARLOS’ COURT
This has been a challenging year for Alcaraz, who’s been out since April due to a right wrist injury.
The 23-year-old announced last week that he would return for the Open, an event he’s won twice, including last year by defeating fellow tennis titan and rival Jannik Sinner in the final.
The wrist injury caused Alcaraz to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon, but the Spanish sensation still has a chance to win multiple majors this year, as he won the Australian Open in January.
Alcaraz enters the Open as No. 3 in the ATP rankings, behind Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
But make no mistake, this is Alcaraz’s tournament to lose — so long as he’s able to overcome rust or any lingering health concerns.
“Coming to the U.S. Open, best-of-five [format] for the first one in such a long time, it’s really challenging,” Alcaraz said. “Probably, in terms of preparation and everything, is not the best time. But we, my team and me, believe that I’m ready.”
Aryna Sabalenka and Carlos Alcaraz with their 2025 Open trophies. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
SINNER SIDELINED
One of the reasons Alcaraz’s path is so clear is that Sinner withdrew from this year’s Open due to a right knee injury.
The Italian-born Sinner — the 2024 U.S. Open champion — also missed the National Bank Open in Montreal and the Cincinnati Open due to the ailment.
“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realized that I still need more time to recover from my right knee issue,” Sinner, 25, wrote last week on Instagram.
“I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.”
Sinner met Alcaraz in the final round of three of the four grand slam tournaments last year, but due largely to their respective injuries, they will not face each other in a major final in 2026.
ABOUT THE DROUGHT
With Sinner sidelined and Alcaraz coming off a long layoff, perhaps this is the year an American man finally reclaims the U.S. Open glory.
The last man to win the U.S. Open men’s singles title was Andy Roddick in 2003 — a drought approaching two and a half decades. In fact, that’s the last time an American man won any of the four Grand Slam tournaments.
Much of that drought coincided with prolonged dominance by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, who, at 39, is the only member of that trio still playing.
Sinner and Alcaraz have since staked their claims as the sport’s elite.
“It’s the same conversation. Still gotta beat seven guys, however way you slice it,” said Frances Tiafoe, the Open’s No. 11 seed and one of the top American players.
“For me, doesn’t really matter if those guys are in, those guys are not. … My mind says it’s not really worried about any of those guys. Just trying to beat the guy in front of me.”
Tiafoe is one of several U.S contenders. Ben Shelton, the No. 8 seed, was playing well last year before a shoulder injury abruptly ended his Open run in the third round.
Ninth-seeded Taylor Fritz advanced to the U.S. Open final in 2024.
There’s also Learner Tien (No. 14), Brandon Nakashima (No. 16) and Tommy Paul (No. 20).
It would take only one of them to break through.
COCO MOMENTUM
It’s been three years since Coco Gauff, then 19, won the U.S. Open.
So much has transpired for the American star since then, including back-to-back fourth-round exits at the 2024 and 2025 Opens. Last year, Gauff unveiled a new serve at the Open in an effort to cut down on the double faults that had plagued her.
This year, Gauff arrives in Queens with a little more stability and much more momentum, having won the Cincinnati Open last weekend by defeating her countrywoman Pegula in the final.
“I was making a big change before probably the most important tournament of my season [last year], and there was a lot of pressure,” Gauff said. “But I’m really glad that I made the decision. I’m glad I didn’t wait another second, because the progress is there, and I see it.”
The fourth-seeded Gauff, 22, should be one of the top contenders, as should the 32-year-old Pegula (No. 3), who still seeks her first Grand Slam title.
Serena Williams made her U.S. Open return during the mixed doubles tournament on Tuesday.(Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
WELCOME BACK, WILLIAMS
Months after making her return to professional tennis, the 44-year-old Williams isn’t going to participate in the singles tournament at the Open, where she’s a six-time champion.
But fans still have a chance to revel in Serena’s comeback, as she will compete in the doubles tournament with her sister, Venus Williams, as a starry wild-card entry.
The Williamses are 27-7 together in doubles matches at the Open and won the event together in 1999 and 2009.
This will be their 10th time playing together at Flushing Meadows.
Serena also competed Tuesday in the Open’s mixed doubles tournament with Alcaraz, and the big-name pair won a match before being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
That marked Serena’s first Open appearance since 2022, when her third-round exit appeared likely to be the end of her prolific career.
Nearly four years later, Serena returned this summer, including playing singles at Wimbledon, where she suffered a first-round exit — and a knee injury — as a wild card.
That knee continues to hamper Serena, whose manager told ESPN’s Patrick McEnroe that she was close but not quite ready for singles at the Open.