US Open Draw Pits Alcaraz Against Djokovic in Same Half

The draw for the 2026 US Open men's singles has set the stage for a potentially dramatic tournament, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returning from a long injury layoff and placed in the same half as 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. The event, which begins on August 31, will be contested without world No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who withdrew due to a knee injury, elevating French Open champion Alexander Zverev to the top seed. Alcaraz, seeded second, has not played a competitive singles match since suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in mid-April. His return to action at Flushing Meadows will begin with a challenging first-round match against Roman Safiullin, a player who has previously pushed Djokovic to five sets at Wimbledon. Should Alcaraz advance, he could face a quarterfinal against Arthur Fils, the recent Cincinnati champion, and a potential semifinal against Djokovic, a scenario that mirrors their meeting at the same stage last year. Djokovic, seeded fourth, is pursuing a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. He opens against Mariano Navone and could meet former US Open champion Stan Wawrinka in the second round.