US Open 2026 Begins With Sinner Out, Alcaraz Returns

The 2026 US Open Tennis Championships begin Sunday, August 30, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, marking the final Grand Slam of the season. The tournament runs through Sunday, September 13, with a field reshaped by significant absences and a wide-open race for the titles on both the men's and women's sides.

The biggest storyline entering the event is the withdrawal of world No. 1 Jannik Sinner. The Italian, who won Wimbledon this summer, has not recovered from a right knee injury and said he was "very sad and disappointed" to miss the year's final major. His absence means there will be no rematch of last year's men's final, which he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz, the defending champion, returns to New York to compete in his first tournament since suffering a wrist injury in April. Seeded second, the Spaniard is chasing his third US Open title. He is followed in the draw by top seed Alexander Zverev, the newly crowned Wimbledon champion, and sixth-seeded Novak Djokovic, who at 39 continues his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title.

On the women's side, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka aims for a third consecutive US Open...