Kasim LeskoVIEW PROFILE →
A Wide-Open US Open: Sinner Sidelined, Alcaraz Back From Injury, Sabalenka Wobbling
The 2026 US Open is getting underway in New York with an unusually open feel: world number one Jannik Sinner is absent, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returns from a four month injury layoff, and two time champion Aryna Sabalenka arrives in poor form.
The final Grand Slam of the tennis season is getting underway in New York, and for once the outcome feels genuinely uncertain. With the world number one absent, the defending champion just back from injury and the top woman struggling, the 2026 US Open looks truly open.
The champion returns
The men's tournament revolves around a comeback. Carlos Alcaraz arrives in New York to defend his title, but he does so after a long spell on the sidelines that has left real question marks hanging over both his form and his match fitness.
His absence had been significant. Alcaraz had been out since April with a right wrist injury, missing roughly four months of tennis before deciding only last week that he was finally ready to return to competition at Flushing Meadows.
New York is a fitting place for that return. The US Open is where Alcaraz has claimed two of his seven Grand Slam titles, giving him a reservoir of confidence on these hard courts even after such a long stretch away from the tour.
The number one is missing
The biggest name of all will not be there. World number one Jannik Sinner is missing from the tournament, and his absence removes the player who had set the standard at the very top of the men's game and reshapes the entire draw around him.
That gap changes the maths for everyone else. Without Sinner in the field, a whole cluster of contenders who might otherwise have been chasing him now have a far more realistic and unobstructed path toward the title.
Zverev leads, Djokovic lingers
In Sinner's absence, Alexander Zverev steps up as the top seed, carrying the weight of expectation that comes with heading the draw at one of the four biggest events in the entire sport.
The old guard has not disappeared either. Novak Djokovic remains firmly in the mix, though observers suggest the great veteran may finally be showing his age, adding another layer of intrigue to how the men's event will unfold.
The draw itself has shaped the possibilities. Alcaraz, Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev all share the same half, which means Alcaraz and Djokovic cannot meet before the semifinals, delaying any blockbuster clash between the two of them.
The women's race is shaken up
The women's tournament carries its own deep uncertainty. Aryna Sabalenka arrives as the two time defending champion and the top seed, yet she comes into the event on a genuinely worrying run of recent results.
Her recent form has raised the alarm. Sabalenka lost in the fourth round at Wimbledon and then fell short at both hard court tournaments she played afterward, putting her grip on the number one ranking in real and immediate jeopardy.
A stage for stories
The opening days promise their share of drama beyond the favourites. The schedule features marquee names in Arthur Ashe Stadium, and among the most striking is Venus Williams, competing at 46 and lining up against Sofia Kenin in a match that spans tennis generations.
Put together, the picture is of a tournament with no clear favourite and plenty of narratives. With the usual certainties stripped away, the 2026 US Open has the makings of one of the most unpredictable Grand Slams in recent memory.
