The final major of the tennis season is here, and the US Open 2026 title contenders picture looks very different than anyone expected a month ago. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is out with a knee injury, the men’s draw has cracked wide open, and the women’s field is chasing a two-time defending champion who suddenly looks beatable. If you want to know who can actually win in New York, who could crash the party, and how to watch every match, here is your guide as the main draw gets rolling at Flushing Meadows.
The biggest story of the fortnight happened before a ball was struck. Sinner, the top-ranked man in the world, withdrew from the US Open on August 21 because of a lingering right knee issue. It is his first missed Grand Slam since 2019, and he plans to return for the Asian hard-court swing in Beijing and Shanghai in October rather than risk surgery now.
That single announcement reshuffled the entire US Open 2026 title contenders board. Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have traded the sport’s biggest trophies back and forth all season, so removing one half of that rivalry hands the other a golden opening. Alcaraz, the defending champion, is now the clear man to beat in New York.
Alcaraz arrives as the reigning champion after beating Sinner in last year’s final, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, for his second US Open crown and sixth major overall. With Sinner out and the draw already producing chaos, he is now the overwhelming favorite in New York.
The bracket blew open on Day 1. Novak Djokovic, the four-time US Open champion and one of the pre-tournament threats, was stunned in the first round by Mariano Navone in five sets, 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. A visibly ill Djokovic wore down late and needed medical attention, and the loss marked his first opening-round Grand Slam exit in two decades. Removing another all-time name from the field only widens the path for the players left standing.
That puts more weight on the next tier. Alexander Zverev anchors the top half and has the power game to reach another major final, even if closing the deal has haunted him before. Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz give the American men a real rooting interest, and both have the serve to steal a hot week on home soil. With Sinner gone and Djokovic already out, one clean run through the draw could put a first-time or unexpected finalist on Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Aryna Sabalenka enters as the two-time defending champion and the betting favorite, but the odds are tighter than her recent New York dominance would suggest. She is bidding to become the first woman to win three straight US Open singles titles in the modern era, and her form has looked shakier heading into the tournament.
That opening has pulled Coco Gauff right back into the conversation. The American has surged up the odds board and now sits as the top challenger, with a home crowd that will roar for every winner. Iga Swiatek is never far behind at a major, and Elena Rybakina has rebounded after an injury scare to reestablish herself as a genuine threat.
The result is one of the deepest women’s US Open 2026 title contenders races in years. Sabalenka is the pick until proven otherwise, but Gauff, Swiatek and Rybakina all have the ceiling to lift the trophy if the top seed wobbles.
Every open draw produces a surprise, and this one has the setup for it. On the men’s side, watch the big servers who can shorten points and avoid the grind of long rallies, because a favorable half plus a couple of upsets ahead of them can turn a seed into a semifinalist fast. On the women’s side, the players who thrive under the lights at Ashe, where night sessions swing momentum and crowds get loud, are the ones capable of a signature run.
The lesson from wide-open majors is simple: do not overthink it, but do not sleep on the floaters either. With the No. 1 seed removed from the men’s field entirely, the math favors chaos more than it usually does.
The 2026 US Open runs from Sunday, August 30 through Sunday, September 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, the longest edition in tournament history at 22 days. The main draw is underway now, building toward the singles quarterfinals on September 8 and 9, the semifinals in the following days, and the finals to close it out.
For a full day-by-day breakdown of sessions, court assignments and start times, check Stadium Rant’s complete US Open 2026 schedule and how-to-watch guide, which we are updating throughout the fortnight.
Coverage in the United States runs across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, with the marquee night sessions from Arthur Ashe Stadium anchoring prime time. Cord cutters can stream every match with an ESPN subscription, and Disney+ subscribers can catch select action in-app.
Here is the quick version:
Sinner’s absence turned a two-man season into a scramble, and Djokovic’s stunning first-round exit blew the men’s draw wide open on Day 1. That is great news for anyone who loves a chaotic Grand Slam. Alcaraz and Sabalenka are the names to beat, but Gauff, Swiatek, Zverev and a handful of dangerous floaters make this one of the most unpredictable US Open 2026 title contenders fields in memory. Keep this page and our full schedule guide handy, because two weeks of New York hard-court tennis are about to deliver plenty of surprises.
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