Jannik Sinner has played every Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2019. He will not play this one. A knee injury picked up during his break before the North American hard-court swing has ruled out the world No. 1, the 2024 champion and last year’s beaten finalist, and his absence has reshaped a fortnight that already had plenty going on.
🎾 JANNIK SINNER — 2026 GENTLEMEN’S SINGLES CHAMPION!
The Italian sensation defeats Alexander Zverev to claim his second Wimbledon title — and cement his place at the top of the tennis world.
A masterclass on grass. A champion’s mentality.
Sinner reigns supreme. 👏🔥 pic.twitter.com/wjeRwCbuF5
— 365Scores (@365Scores) July 12, 2026
Main-draw play begins at Flushing Meadows on Sunday 30 August and runs to the men’s final on Sunday 13 September. The tournament will pay out a record $108 million in total player compensation, a 20% rise on last year’s $90m, with each singles champion taking $5.5m. Even a first-round loser banks $190,000.
The final Grand Slam of the year is gearing up
The men: an opening, and who takes it
Alexander Zverev inherits the top seeding, and he arrives with more than just a promotion. The German finally won a major at Roland Garros this year and reached the Wimbledon final, going 18-2 at Grand Slam level in 2026. That is elite form by any measure.
The caveats are familiar. Zverev’s summer in Montreal and Cincinnati was unconvincing, the top-seed burden has not historically suited him, and Lorenzo Sonego is a genuinely awkward first-round draw. His projected quarter-final is Alex de Minaur, with Rafael Jódar and Casper Ruud lurking in the same section.
Carlos Alcaraz defends the title he won by beating Sinner in four sets last September, his second in New York and sixth major overall. He has not hit a competitive singles ball since a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in mid-April, which is over four months of rust to shake off in the biggest arena in the sport. He has spoken this week about intrusive thoughts and the mental side of coming back, which is a striking thing for a 23-year-old defending champion to admit publicly.
🏆 King of New York!
Carlos Alcaraz defeats Jannik Sinner to win the 2025 US Open! pic.twitter.com/NYrCPuySRe
— 365Scores (@365Scores) September 7, 2025
His draw is not kind. Roman Safiullin first, who made it to the Round of 16 in this years Wimbledon, then potentially Jenson Brooksby, Matteo Arnaldi, Alexander Bublik and Arthur Fils before a projected semi-final against Novak Djokovic.
That semi-final is the fixture the tournament wants. Djokovic, seeded fourth, is still chasing a 25th major, and with Sinner absent and Alcaraz undercooked, this is arguably his clearest opening since 2023. He opens against Mariano Navone and then faces either Matteo Berrettini or Stan Wawrinka, a rematch of the 2016 final ten years on.
Djokovic’s quarter is the most compelling section of the draw by some distance. Four former US Open champions sit in it: Djokovic himself, Daniil Medvedev, Marin Čilić and Wawrinka. Add Frances Tiafoe and Brandon Nakashima, both arriving in form, and there are watchable matches everywhere. Curiously, all five former champions in the field ended up in the bottom half.
Félix Auger-Aliassime is the third seed and probably the most under-discussed contender. He opens against Rinky Hijikata, with Karen Khachanov a possible second-round opponent and Learner Tien, Jakub Menšík and Gaël Monfils in his quarter. Flavio Cobolli, de Minaur, Medvedev and Ben Shelton complete the top eight.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Two farewells
Wawrinka, the 2016 champion and a three-time major winner, was handed a late wildcard and will play his final Grand Slam. So will Monfils, one of the most watchable athletes of his generation. New York has a habit of giving these players a proper send-off, and both should get one.
The women: four players, one ranking
Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed for an eighth consecutive Grand Slam and is chasing a third straight US Open title, which no woman has managed since Serena Williams between 2012 and 2014. She is also chasing a fifth major and a fourth title of the season.
The complication is form. Sabalenka lost the Australian Open final to Elena Rybakina, went out to Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarter-finals, and was beaten by Naomi Osaka in the Wimbledon last eight. She opens against Camila Osorio in a manageable first week, with Barbora Krejčíková a likely third-round test and Linda Nosková, the 2026 Wimbledon champion, or the in-form Marta Kostyuk projected in the quarters.
Her half is the smoother one. The bottom half is brutal. Rybakina is seeded second and can guarantee herself the world No. 1 ranking simply by reaching the semi-finals, but she retired from her Cincinnati quarter-final against Iga Świątek with an ankle problem and had not practised at the site as of earlier this week. She opens against American wildcard Thea Frodin.
Świątek is the story of the draw. Seeded only eighth after a patchier season, despite winning Toronto, she has landed in comfortably the toughest quarter, alongside Rybakina, Osaka, Belinda Bencic and Madison Keys. She and Rybakina have already met twice this summer.
Jessica Pegula is the highest-seeded American at three and could face Venus Williams or Sofia Kenin in the second round. Coco Gauff is fourth and faces Mirra Andreeva, this year’s Roland Garros champion, in a projected quarter-final.
Four women, Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff, can leave New York as world No. 1 depending on results. That is not a routine situation.
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)
The ones to watch
Arthur Fils is the obvious name. The Frenchman won Cincinnati eight days ago, beating Frances Tiafoe 6-3, 1-6, 6-0 for his first Masters 1000 title and fifth on tour, becoming the first Frenchman to take the Cincinnati crown since Guy Forget in 1991 and the first to win any Masters event since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2014 Canadian Open. It was also the first Masters 1000 final between two Black players since the series began in 1990.
He arrives in New York seeded tenth and, more to the point, in the form of his life on exactly this surface. His projected quarter-final is Alcaraz, which is either the worst possible reward for a breakthrough fortnight or the best possible stage for it.
Alex Eala is seeded 17th, the highest Grand Slam seeding any Filipino player has achieved. She has the second-best win percentage against top-ten opposition on tour this year, which for a player still building a slam record is a genuinely arresting number. If the draw opens up, she is capable of a run.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
FAQs
When is the 2026 US Open? Main-draw play runs from Sunday 30 August to Sunday 13 September at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York.
Why is Jannik Sinner not playing? The world No. 1 withdrew with a knee injury sustained during his break before the North American hard-court season. It is his first absence from a major since Wimbledon 2019.
Who are the top seeds? Alexander Zverev leads the men ahead of Carlos Alcaraz, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic. Aryna Sabalenka leads the women ahead of Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff.
How much is the prize money? A record $108 million in total player compensation, up 20% on 2025. Each singles champion earns $5.5 million.
Which players are retiring after this Grand Slam? Stan Wawrinka and Gaël Monfils will both play their final Grand Slam tournaments in New York.
By Nicky Helfgott – NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter)
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