Alexander Zverev, the top seed at the 2026 US Open men's singles, began the tournament on August 30 at Flushing Meadows, New York, downplaying his favourite status.

“I feel like I’m one of the 128 players that are favourites in the draw,” Zverev said, emphasizing the depth and unpredictability of the field [1]. Despite his top seeding, he said the competition remains wide open as several strong players will challenge for the title [1, 2, 3].

The men’s draw is notably unsettled by the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner due to a knee injury, which has opened the field further. “I know how much quality that there is in the draw. I think it would be disrespectful to just think ‘Oh, there’s no Sinner, it’s a massive opportunity,’” a tennis analyst noted [1].

Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion and youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam, returns from a right wrist injury that kept him out of competition for over four months [1, 2, 3]. Zverev expects Alcaraz to be rusty in his first couple of matches but added, “once he gets through that, I think he’s going to be a contender for sure here” [1].

Novak Djokovic, seeded fourth, is also among the favorites as he aims for a record 25th Grand Slam singles title [1, 2]. Rising American players and young talents such as Arthur Fils add further unpredictability on the US Open surface [1, 2].

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka, the world No. 1 and two-time defending US Open champion, faces challenges with form and confidence [1, 4, 2]. Sabalenka has a mediocre 17-7 win-loss record since April and recently lost unexpectedly in the Cincinnati Open third round on August 28 [4].

Sabalenka must win the US Open to retain her No. 1 ranking, as Elena Rybakina will claim it if she reaches the semifinals. However, Rybakina’s fitness is uncertain after a recent leg injury forced her to retire from a match last week [4]. Other women contenders include Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Iga Swiatek, all showing strong form with recent WTA 1000 titles [4].

The 2026 US Open began August 30 at Flushing Meadows, with players and fans eager to see how the open men’s draw and challenging women’s field unfold [1, 2, 3].