US Open 2026: Schedule, Seeds and Key Contenders

The 2026 US Open – the final Grand Slam of the year – officially begins this Sunday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Ahead of the main draw, Czech duo Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik claimed the mixed doubles title, defeating Belinda Bencic of Switzerland and Flavio Cobolli of Italy on Wednesday evening.

Main Draw Schedule

Men's and women's singles quarterfinals start on September 8. Women's semifinals are set for September 10, followed by men's semifinals on September 11. The women's final takes place September 12, with the men's final on September 13.

Top Seeds

Women's singles: Aryna Sabalenka, Elina Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff, Mirra Andreeva, Karolina Muchova, Linda Noskova, Iga Swiatek, Amanda Anisimova, and Elina Svitolina.

Men's singles: Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alex de Minaur, Ben Shelton, Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Taylor Fritz, and Alexander Bublik.

Key Storylines

Jannik Sinner withdraws: The world No. 1 from Italy said he is “very sad and disappointed” after failing to recover from a right knee injury, forcing him to miss the tournament since winning Wimbledon. Sinner also skipped hard-court events in Montreal and Cincinnati.

Carlos Alcaraz returns to defend title: The Spaniard makes his comeback after four months out with a wrist injury. However, Sinner's absence means fans won't see the eagerly awaited “Sincaraz” matchup this time.

Serena Williams and Alcaraz team up in mixed doubles: The cross-generational duo fell in the quarterfinals to Cobolli/Bencic. Meanwhile, Serena and sister Venus Williams received a wildcard for women's doubles – the pair have won the US Open twice (1999, 2009). Venus also received a singles wildcard.

Stan Wawrinka gets last-minute wildcard: The 2016 US Open champion was not on the initial wildcard list for his farewell season but received a spot on Wednesday after days of fan outcry.

Teen talent Moise Kouame debuts: The 17-year-old Frenchman made history at the French Open as the youngest man to win a Grand Slam match in 17 years but fell in US Open qualifying to Nishesh Basavareddy.

Novak Djokovic chases 25th major: The world No. 5 continues his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title since winning the 2023 US Open. At 39, he reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinals this year, despite struggling with humidity in Cincinnati.

Roger Federer Won't Return

The 45-year-old Swiss legend has dismissed any comeback like Serena Williams. He will only play exhibitions during US Open Week before being honored at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island on Saturday.

Title Contenders

With Sinner out, Alcaraz is rated the top favorite for a third title in New York. Top seed Zverev – the Wimbledon champion – will look to bounce back after a fourth-round exit in Cincinnati. Arthur Fils (No. 23 seed) could be a surprise factor after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.

In the women's draw, Gauff aims to replicate her 2023 triumph over Sabalenka, who is targeting a third straight title here. However, Sabalenka has had an inconsistent season with early exits in Cincinnati, Toronto, Wimbledon, and the Roland Garros quarterfinals. Rybakina is close behind with 8,141 points, just shy of Sabalenka's 8,575.

Jessica Pegula, 32, is the oldest player in the top 10 but has reached the final and semifinal in the past two years. Mirra Andreeva, this year's French Open champion, is at a career-high No. 5. Meanwhile, Philippines' Alex Eala just won her first WTA title in Washington and received a mixed doubles wildcard with Auger-Aliassime (they exited in the first round).

Prize Money

This year's total purse is a record $108 million. Singles champions receive $5.5 million, runners-up $2.8 million. Semifinalists, quarterfinalists, fourth-round, third-round, second-round, and first-round players earn $1.45 million, $780,000, $480,000, $290,000, $190,000, and $140,000 respectively. In doubles, each winning pair gets $1 million, with runners-up earning $500,000.

Notable Absences

Besides Sinner, Brazil's Joao Fonseca (No. 26) and Britain's Jack Draper (No. 141) are missing. On the women's side, Emma Raducanu (GBR), Victoria Mboko (CAN, No. 15), and Hailey Baptiste (USA, No. 34) are absent.