Dorothy

No American man has won a major since Andy Roddick beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in the 2003 US Open final. Taylor Fritz's trip to the US Open final in 2024 was the closest an American man has come to ending the streak in two decades.

In the women's draw, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka starts against Colombia's Camila Osorio.

While a large group of players have an opportunity to make a career-defining breakthrough in the men’s draw, it will be difficult for the rank-and-file competitors to stop the strong group of elite players at the top of the women’s draw despite their differing form. Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion, will begin against Camila Osorio as she also tries to hold on to her No 1 ranking after a difficult few months.

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka is the No. 1 seed on the women's side and beat American Amanda Anisimova in last year's tournament final, 6-3 7-6 (7-3). Sabalenka has four career slams, but has not captured a major this year.

Coco Gauff is also entering the tournament on a hot streak after recently defeating Pegula to win the Cincinnati Open. She will need to make it out of a quarter featuring 19-year-old Mirra Andreeva in order to earn a shot at a potential final rematch against Pegula.

The 2026 U.S. Open men's singles final could potentially feature a semifinal showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

Fery narrowly missed out on a seeding and, having been drawn against 2025 quarter-finalist Musetti, has received a tough opener as a result.

After collapsing during the Cincinnati Open due to what he described as a health issue exacerbated by heat and humidity, Djokovic cut a practice short in the lead-up to the singles draw.

He suffered early loss in Canada and a fourth-round defeat to Tommy Paul in Cincinnati but Sinner's absence will give Zverev, who becomes the first player in ATP ranking history to be the top seed at a major without previously reaching the top of the ATP throne, the incentive to rediscover his best hard-court tennis in a nick of time.

Those injuries could create an opening for the top-seeded participant in the draw, Alexander Zverev, whose 2026 French Open victory made him the first player other than Sinner or Alcaraz to win a major since 2024.

The four-time champion Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, will begin his latest attempt to become the oldest singles grand slam champion in the open era as the fourth seed in Alcaraz’s half of the draw. He faces Mariano Navone in the first round with the out-of-form seventh seed Daniil Medvedev the highest-ranked seed in the Serb’s quarter. Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion, is the top seed at a grand slam tournament for the first time and faces the Italian Lorenzo Sonego in his opener.