US Open Tennis 2026: Dates, Schedule, TV Coverage and Tickets
US Open Tennis 2026 is down to the last four at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. The women’s semifinals are Thursday night, the men’s semifinals Friday, the women’s final Saturday, September 12 and the men’s final Sunday, September 13. Thursday is also Open for All Day, the last day of free grounds admission. ESPN carries both semifinals and ABC has the men’s final.
This is the 146th US Open, the longest ever staged at 22 days, and the richest tournament in tennis history at $108 million.
US Open 2026 Semifinals
| When | Match | TV |
|---|---|---|
| Thu Sep 10, 7 p.m. ET | Aryna Sabalenka (1) v Jessica Pegula (3), first on Ashe | ESPN |
| Thu Sep 10, to follow | Coco Gauff (4) v Elena Rybakina (2) | ESPN |
| Fri Sep 11, not before 3 p.m. ET | Alexander Zverev (1) v Karen Khachanov | ESPN |
| Fri Sep 11, 7 p.m. ET | Frances Tiafoe (11) v Ben Shelton (8) | ESPN |
All four top seeds reached the women’s semifinals, something the US Open has not seen in half a century. The men’s bottom half produced an all American semifinal, so the United States is guaranteed a men’s finalist for the first time since 2006.
Match of the Day
Frances Tiafoe Ben SheltonQuick Facts
| Edition | 146th |
| Full event | Aug 23 to Sep 13, 2026 (22 days) |
| Women’s final | Saturday, September 12, 4 p.m. ET |
| Men’s final | Sunday, September 13, 2 p.m. ET |
| Venue | USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows, Queens, New York |
| Surface | Outdoor hard court, Laykold |
| Defending champions | Carlos Alcaraz (out), Aryna Sabalenka |
| New world No. 1 | Elena Rybakina, from September 14 |
| US TV | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Deportes |
| Prize money | $108 million, a tennis record |
How We Got Here
Ben Shelton beat Carlos Alcaraz at 3:33 in the morning. The quarterfinal did not start until after 11 p.m. and finished 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) in Shelton’s favour, the latest finish in US Open history. It was his first win over a top three player after 17 defeats, and it ended the defending champion’s tournament. The scheduling has drawn heavy criticism and renewed calls for a curfew.
Elena Rybakina is the new world No. 1. She clinched it by reaching the semifinals, beating qualifier Qinwen Zheng 3-6, 6-1, 6-4. The ranking takes effect on Monday, September 14. She ends Aryna Sabalenka’s run of 99 straight weeks at the top and becomes the first player from Kazakhstan to hold the No. 1 ranking.
Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton meet in an all American semifinal. Tiafoe came from two sets down to beat Alex Michelsen 5-7, 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6(6) in four hours 39 minutes. It is only the third all American men’s major semifinal this century.
Djokovic never got going. Mariano Navone beat the fourth seed 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 on opening night. Djokovic was visibly ill and made 70 unforced errors. The loss ended his Open Era record of 78 straight Grand Slam first round wins and was his first opening round exit in New York.
Qinwen Zheng came through qualifying to the quarterfinals. Back from elbow surgery, she recovered from 5-0 down in consecutive matches and beat Iga Świątek 7-5, 6-3, the first qualifier ever to beat Świątek at a major.
Alexander Zverev is the last man standing from the top seven. He has now reached the semifinals of all four majors in 2026. He beat Botic van de Zandschulp 6-2, 7-5, 6-1 in the quarterfinals.
Karen Khachanov is the surprise semifinalist. Unseeded, he beat Learner Tien in five sets and then advanced when Alexander Blockx retired at 6-2, 7-5, 3-2 down with leg, rib and back injuries. Blockx was the first Belgian man in a US Open quarterfinal.
It has been a brutal fortnight for seeds. Three of 31 men’s seeds are left and four of 32 women’s. Only Zverev and Shelton survive from the men’s top eight.
Sabalenka is two wins from history. A third straight US Open title would make her only the third woman in the Open era to do it, after Chris Evert and Serena Williams.
Every score, round by round: US Open 2026 results.
US Open Tennis 2026 Schedule and Key Dates
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Aug 23 to 29 | Fan Week, qualifying and the Mixed Doubles Championship (completed) |
| Aug 30 to Sep 7 | First round through round of 16 (completed) |
| Sep 8 to 9 | Quarterfinals (completed) |
| Thu, Sep 10 | Women’s semifinals, 7 p.m. ET. Open for All Day, free grounds entry from 11 a.m. |
| Fri, Sep 11 | Women’s doubles final noon, men’s semifinals from 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET |
| Sat, Sep 12 | Men’s doubles final noon, women’s final 4 p.m. ET |
| Sun, Sep 13 | Men’s final, 2 p.m. ET |
The USTA posts the next day’s order of play each evening.
Day by day detail and local start times: US Open 2026 schedule.
Seeds and Players
| Seed | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev, semifinal | Aryna Sabalenka, semifinal |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz (out, quarterfinal) | Elena Rybakina, semifinal |
| 3 | Félix Auger-Aliassime (out) | Jessica Pegula, semifinal |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic (out, first round) | Coco Gauff, semifinal |
| 5 | Flavio Cobolli (out) | Mirra Andreeva (out) |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur (out) | Linda Nosková (out) |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev (out) | Karolína Muchová (out) |
| 8 | Ben Shelton, semifinal | Iga Świątek (out) |
Jannik Sinner never played. The world No. 1 beat Zverev to win Wimbledon in July for his fifth major, then withdrew on August 21 with a right knee injury, his first missed Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2019. That is why Zverev was top seed and Alcaraz second.
Also missing from the start: João Fonseca, Holger Rune, Jack Draper, Casper Ruud, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, Emma Raducanu and Victoria Mboko. Ruud’s withdrawal let lucky loser Arthur Géa into the draw, and he reached the round of 16 before losing the longest match of the tournament at five hours 13 minutes.
Full field and draw analysis: players guide and draw breakdown.
What is New in 2026
Record $108 million purse. Prize money jumped 20 percent on 2025. This is the first Grand Slam to pass $100 million in player compensation, and the USTA added a $2 million player support programme on top.
Longest edition ever. Fan Week opened August 23 with Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day leading off for the first time, giving 22 competition days. More than 300,000 fans came through the gates during Fan Week, with Fan Access Pass registrations up 66 percent on 2025.
New host broadcasters. The USTA produces the world feed from 2026, a job ESPN held from 2015 to 2025, with Warner Bros. Discovery taking on host broadcast duties for the first time.
Late finishes became the story. Shelton and Alcaraz finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest in tournament history, after Venus Williams had opened the fortnight with a 12:13 a.m. start. The US Open still has no curfew.
Arthur Ashe rebuilt. Phase two of the $800 million project reworked the lower bowl and suite levels. Courtside seating grew from 3,000 to 5,000 and the concourses are 40 percent wider. Daniel Zausner, chief operating officer of the National Tennis Center, puts capacity at 23,933. The full redesign lands before the 2027 US Open.
How to Watch US Open Tennis 2026 Live
ESPN holds exclusive US rights through 2037. Both semifinals and the women’s final are on ESPN. Only the men’s final is on ABC.
| Session | Date and time ET | Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s semifinals | Thu Sep 10, 7 p.m. | ESPN and ESPN Deportes |
| Women’s doubles final | Fri Sep 11, noon | ESPN2 |
| Men’s semifinals | Fri Sep 11, 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. | ESPN and ESPN Deportes |
| Men’s doubles final | Sat Sep 12, noon | ESPN App only |
| Women’s final | Sat Sep 12, 4 p.m. | ESPN and ESPN Deportes |
| Men’s final | Sun Sep 13, 2 p.m. | ABC and ESPN Deportes |
ESPN+ still exists, but only as the content library inside the ESPN Select plan, and Select does not carry the ESPN linear channels. To stream every court and Multiview you need ESPN Unlimited at $31.99 a month for new subscribers.
ESPN Select is $13.99. The Disney+, Hulu and ESPN Unlimited bundle is $35.99. Anyone who subscribed before August 20 keeps the old $12.99 and $29.99 rates until their first billing date after September 17.
| Country | Where to watch |
|---|---|
| United States | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Unlimited |
| UK and Ireland | Sky Sports Tennis, Sky Go, NOW |
| Canada | TSN, RDS, TSN Direct, TSN+ |
| Australia | Nine and 9Now free, Stan Sport for every court |
| Europe (45 markets) | Eurosport, plus every court on HBO Max. Excludes Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Ireland |
| India and South Asia | JioStar, on Star Sports and JioHotstar |
| South Africa | SuperSport |
| New Zealand | ESPN via Disney+ or Sky Sport |
| MENA | beIN Sports |
| Japan | WOWOW |
Prices, apps and local detail for every market: live stream guide.
Tickets and Open for All Day
Thursday, September 10 is the last free day. Gates open at 11 a.m. and grounds admission is free, with no ticket and no Fan Access Pass required. The outer courts stage the men’s doubles semifinals from 4 p.m., plus junior and wheelchair quarterfinals and semifinals, and the Para-Standing Invitational. The women’s semifinals in Arthur Ashe that evening are a separate ticketed session.
Face value sold out within hours of going on sale in late May. Grounds passes were $65 and Arthur Ashe seats started at $43, so resale is what most fans now pay. Measured a week before play began, the average get in price across the tournament was $288, about 13 percent up on 2025, with the two finals starting near $510. Semifinal and final prices run well above that.
Buy through usopen.org or Ticketmaster, the official ticketing partner. Official resale runs through the Official Ticket Marketplace, powered by Ticketmaster, the only secondary site where purchases are verified. Use those sources only.
Sessions, prices and seating advice: tickets guide.
Prize Money
The 2026 US Open pays out $108 million, up 20 percent on the $90 million record set in 2025. Men and women earn identical amounts at every round. The four players in each semifinal have already banked $1,450,000.
| Result | Singles payout |
|---|---|
| Champion | $5,500,000 |
| Runner up | $2,800,000 |
| Semifinalist | $1,450,000 |
| Quarterfinalist | $780,000 |
| Round of 16 | $480,000 |
| Third round | $290,000 |
| Second round | $190,000 |
| First round | $140,000 |
Doubles and mixed doubles champions each take $1 million per team, with $500,000 for the runners up. Wheelchair singles champions earn $104,000.
Qualifying and doubles detail: prize money guide.
Doubles
Women’s doubles final, Friday at noon: Kateřina Siniaková and Taylor Townsend, the top seeds, play the all American wild card pair Ashlyn Krueger and Robin Montgomery.
Mixed doubles, completed August 26: Karolína Muchová and Jakub Menšík beat Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 to split $1 million, the largest mixed doubles prize in tennis. The reimagined 16 team event ran across two days in Fan Week and drew 363,000 viewers on ESPN2, up 138 percent on 2025. Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka lost their opener, and Carlos Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals with Serena Williams on a wild card.
Full results and format: mixed doubles guide.
Inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Arthur Ashe Stadium holds about 23,900 after the 2026 rebuild, still the largest tennis stadium in the world. Louis Armstrong seats about 14,000. Those two courts have retractable roofs, which is why they kept playing through three days of rain in the first week. The Grandstand seats 8,125, has no roof, and gives the closest view on the grounds.
The tournament drew a record 1,144,562 fans in 2025, up 9 percent year on year and the second straight year above one million. Fan Week alone brought in more than 300,000 this year.
Getting there is simple. Take the 7 subway train or the Long Island Rail Road Port Washington Branch to Mets Willets Point, a short walk from the gates. The LIRR runs direct from Grand Central Madison and Penn Station in about 19 minutes. Parking near Flushing Meadows is limited, especially on New York Mets home dates.
The US Open is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the season. The first US National Championship was played in 1881 at the Newport Casino in Rhode Island. The men’s event moved to Forest Hills in 1915 and the tournament settled at Flushing Meadows in 1978, where it has been played on hard courts ever since.
Explore the Tournament
- Results: every score, updated daily
- Schedule and TV times: sessions, ESPN windows, order of play
- Live stream: every country, service and price
- Tickets: sessions, prices, safe buying
- Draw and matchups: seeds, quarters, projected meetings
- Printable bracket: free sheets to fill in
- Prize money: round by round breakdown
- Players and seeds: the full field
FAQ about US Open Tennis 2026
Who is in the US Open 2026 semifinals?
The women’s semifinals are Aryna Sabalenka against Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff against Elena Rybakina, both on Thursday, September 10 from 7 p.m. ET. The men’s semifinals are Alexander Zverev against Karen Khachanov and Frances Tiafoe against Ben Shelton on Friday, September 11.
When is the US Open 2026 final?
The women’s final is Saturday, September 12 at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN. The men’s final is Sunday, September 13 at 2 p.m. ET on ABC. The women’s doubles final is Friday at noon on ESPN2 and the men’s doubles final Saturday at noon on the ESPN App.
Is Carlos Alcaraz still in the US Open 2026?
No. The defending champion lost his quarterfinal to Ben Shelton 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7) in a match that finished at 3:33 a.m., the latest finish in US Open history. It was Shelton’s first win over a top three player after 17 defeats.
Who is the new world No. 1 in women’s tennis?
Elena Rybakina. She secured it by reaching the US Open semifinals and takes over on Monday, September 14. She ends Aryna Sabalenka’s run of 99 consecutive weeks at the top and becomes the first player from Kazakhstan to hold the No. 1 ranking.
Did Novak Djokovic lose in the first round?
Yes. Mariano Navone beat the fourth seed 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 on opening night, August 30. Djokovic was unwell on court and made 70 unforced errors. The result ended his Open Era record of 78 consecutive Grand Slam first round wins and was his first opening round exit at the US Open.
Why is Jannik Sinner not playing the 2026 US Open?
The world No. 1 withdrew on August 21 with a right knee injury, his first missed Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2019. Alexander Zverev took the top seeding in his place, with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz seeded second.
How can I watch the US Open 2026 semifinals and finals?
Both semifinals and the women’s final are on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. The men’s final on Sunday, September 13 is on ABC. ESPN Unlimited streams every court at $31.99 a month for new subscribers. Sky Sports covers the UK, TSN Canada, Eurosport and HBO Max most of Europe, and Nine plus 9Now show free matches in Australia.
How much prize money is at the 2026 US Open?
A record $108 million, up 20 percent on 2025 and the first Grand Slam to pass $100 million. The singles champions earn $5.5 million each, the runners up $2.8 million and the beaten semifinalists $1.45 million. Doubles and mixed doubles champions take $1 million per team.
We update this US Open Tennis 2026 guide every morning with results, start times and TV listings, right through to the men’s final on September 13.