The 2026 US Open begins its main draw in New York on Sunday, August 30, as the world’s leading tennis players gather at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
The tournament follows a week of qualifying and fan events, with Fan Week running from August 23 to 29. The main singles competition will continue through Sunday, September 13, when the men’s champion will be crowned.
Schedule and key dates
The early singles rounds are scheduled from August 30 through September 7, followed by the quarter-finals on September 8 and 9. The women’s semi-finals will be played on September 10, with the men’s semi-finals on September 11. The women’s final is set for September 12, while the men’s final will take place on September 13.
Qualifying was held from August 24 to 27 on the National Tennis Center’s field courts, with matches available to fans free of charge during Fan Week. The tournament’s pre-event programme also included Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, player appearances, exhibitions, concerts and the reimagined US Open Mixed Doubles Championship.
Players to watch
Alexander Zverev enters the men’s singles draw as the top seed after Jannik Sinner withdrew with a right knee injury. Sinner, the world No. 1, said he needed more time to recover after missing tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati. He had posted a 44-3 record during the 2026 season and won six titles, including Wimbledon.
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed and is seeking a third US Open title. Novak Djokovic is also in the field, alongside Felix Auger-Aliassime and other leading contenders. Alcaraz has returned to competition after a lengthy absence caused by a wrist injury.
On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed and is attempting to become the first woman since Serena Williams to win three consecutive US Open singles titles. Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff are among the other leading names in the draw. Gauff, the 2023 champion, is looking to make another deep run in New York.
The singles draws contain 128 players each, with competitors required to win seven matches to claim the title. Men’s singles matches are played over the best of five sets, while women’s singles and doubles matches are best of three. If a deciding set reaches 6-6, a 10-point tie-break determines the winner.
The hard courts at Flushing Meadows are traditionally regarded as among the fastest surfaces on the Grand Slam circuit, favouring powerful servers and aggressive baseline players.
Wild cards and the Williams sisters
Former US Open champions Venus Williams and Sloane Stephens received women’s singles wild cards. Venus Williams, a two-time US Open singles champion, will be joined in the women’s draw by Sofia Kenin, Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, Thea Frodin, Leolia Jeanjean and Taylah Preston.
Venus and Serena Williams will also compete together in the women’s doubles after receiving a wild card. The sisters, who won the US Open doubles titles in 1999 and 2009, last played together at a major at the 2022 US Open. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles as a team.
Serena Williams has already featured at this year’s tournament after partnering Carlos Alcaraz in the mixed doubles championship. The pair reached the quarter-finals before withdrawing. Other notable mixed doubles teams included Sabalenka and Djokovic, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, and defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
The men’s singles wild cards included Gaël Monfils, Alexei Popyrin and Dane Sweeny, along with American players Michael Zheng, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny, Jack Kennedy, Darwin Blanch, Patrick Kypson and Martin Damm. Kypson later withdrew because of injury.
Broadcast coverage and prize money
ESPN has exclusive United States broadcast rights and will provide coverage across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes, with streaming available through the ESPN App for subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan. ABC will carry live coverage on each of the tournament’s three Sundays, while early-round programming will include coverage from all 16 courts.
The 2026 US Open will offer a record $108 million player compensation package, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year and the largest total purse in professional tennis history. The men’s and women’s singles champions will each receive $5.5 million, while first-round singles losers will earn $140,000.
Men’s, women’s and mixed doubles champions will receive $1 million per team. The United States Tennis Association has also introduced a $2 million Player Support Programme, divided equally between male and female competitors, and announced the creation of a Grand Slam Player Council to advise on player welfare and tournament issues.
New York watch parties
Fans without tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium can watch the action at venues across New York City. The Backyard at Hudson Yards is hosting a free tennis-themed activation from August 30 through September 5, with large-screen coverage, games, two 40-foot sports courts and Honey Deuce cocktails.
Matches are also being shown at venues including Edge, Magic Hour Rooftop, Lydia’s, The Wolfe, Stout NYC, Arlo Hotels, Industry Kitchen, The Standard Biergarten, Recreation Bar, Gibney’s NYC, Broken Shaker, Red Rooster Harlem, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, Tipsy NoMad and Beckett’s Sports Bar.
The Honey Deuce, the tournament’s signature cocktail, features prominently at several of the city’s viewing events. The William Vale’s Westlight Rooftop is also hosting a US Open-themed edition of its Sunset Sounds series, while other restaurants and bars are offering special menus and watch parties through the men’s final on September 13.
