US Open 2026 Players: Entry List, Seeds and Wild Cards
The US Open 2026 players field has crowned both its champions. Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton for the men’s title, Elena Rybakina won the women’s, and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner never played at all.
Aryna Sabalenka went in as top seed and two time defending champion and came within a set of a third, losing the final 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. Twenty three players pulled out before a ball was struck, 14 men and nine women, the heaviest injury toll this tournament has seen.
Ben Shelton beat defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and then Frances Tiafoe to reach his first Grand Slam final, where Zverev beat him in four sets. Novak Djokovic went out in the first round for the first time in 20 US Opens, and Venus Williams lost her opener on a wild card at 46.
Alcaraz: Road Through the US Open
Roman SafiullinW6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Jaime FariaW4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2
Yibing WuW6-3, 6-4, 6-1
Tommy PaulW6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Ben SheltonL7-65, 1-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-77
Quick Facts: US Open 2026 Players
| Main draw size | 128 men, 128 women |
| How places are filled | 104 direct entries, 8 wild cards, 16 qualifiers |
| Top seeds | Alexander Zverev, Aryna Sabalenka |
| Women’s champion | Elena Rybakina, beat Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 |
| Men’s champion | Alexander Zverev, beat Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 5-7, 6-2 |
| Defending champions | Carlos Alcaraz, out in the quarterfinals. Sabalenka, runner-up |
| Biggest absentee | Jannik Sinner, world No. 1, right knee |
| Withdrawals | 23 before the first ball (14 men, 9 women) |
| Qualifying | 24 to 28 August, extended a day by rain |
| Seedings based on | Rankings published 24 August |
| Play runs | 30 August to 13 September |
| Singles champion earns | 5.5 million dollars, the largest cheque in Grand Slam history |
Men’s Top 10 Seeds
Seeds follow the ATP rankings of 24 August. Every man is seeded one place above his world ranking because Sinner withdrew.
| Seed | Player | Rank | How far they went |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexander Zverev | 2 | 2026 French Open champion. Five sets in each of his first two rounds, then US Open champion, his second major of the year |
| 2 | Carlos Alcaraz | 3 | Defending champion. Beaten by Ben Shelton in a five set quarterfinal |
| 3 | Félix Auger-Aliassime | 4 | 2021 semifinalist. Out in round two to Karen Khachanov |
| 4 | Novak Djokovic | 5 | Four time champion. Beaten in round one, his first such loss in New York |
| 5 | Flavio Cobolli | 6 | Mixed doubles runner-up. Out in round three to Alexander Blockx |
| 6 | Alex de Minaur | 7 | Quarterfinalist in 2024. Out in round two to Botic van de Zandschulp |
| 7 | Daniil Medvedev | 8 | 2021 champion. Out in the fourth round to Frances Tiafoe |
| 8 | Ben Shelton | 9 | American No. 1. Reached his first Grand Slam final, beating Alcaraz and Tiafoe before losing to Zverev |
| 9 | Taylor Fritz | 10 | 2024 finalist. Out in round three to Francisco Cerundolo |
| 10 | Arthur Fils | 11 | Cincinnati champion at a career high ranking. Lost in round one to Tsitsipas |
Only one man from the top four reached the second week. Zverev beat the unseeded Karen Khachanov in the semifinals, then beat Ben Shelton, who had come through an all American semifinal against Frances Tiafoe, 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 5-7, 6-2 in the final for his second Grand Slam title of the year.
Women’s Top 10 Seeds
Seeds match the WTA rankings of 24 August, one to ten in order.
| Seed | Player | Points | How far they went |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aryna Sabalenka | 8,575 | Champion in 2024 and 2025. Runner-up here, denied a third straight title |
| 2 | Elena Rybakina | 8,141 | Australian Open champion, and now US Open champion. Two majors in 2026 |
| 3 | Jessica Pegula | 7,265 | 2024 finalist and American No. 1. Lost the semifinal to Sabalenka 7-5, 6-2 |
| 4 | Coco Gauff | 6,704 | 2023 champion. Lost the semifinal to Rybakina 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| 5 | Mirra Andreeva | 5,443 | 2026 French Open champion at 19. Lost the quarterfinal to Gauff |
| 6 | Linda Nosková | 5,028 | 2026 Wimbledon champion. Lost a three set quarterfinal to Sabalenka |
| 7 | Karolína Muchová | 4,983 | Mixed doubles champion here. Out in round three to Emma Navarro |
| 8 | Iga Swiatek | 4,809 | 2022 champion. Beaten in the fourth round by qualifier Zheng Qinwen |
| 9 | Elina Svitolina | 4,689 | Out in round three to Anna Kalinskaya |
| 10 | Amanda Anisimova | 4,533 | 2025 finalist. Out in round three to Anastasia Potapova |
The women’s last four were the top four seeds, which had not happened here since 2019, and the top two met in the final. Sabalenka fell one match short of becoming the first woman to complete a US Open three-peat since Serena Williams from 2012 to 2014. Rybakina now holds two of the four 2026 majors.
Alexandra Eala was the milestone story further down the list. The Filipina was seeded 17th, the highest Grand Slam seeding any Philippine player has held. She beat qualifier Mary Stoiana 6-1, 6-2 and Oleksandra Oliynykova 6-1, 6-4 before Iva Jovic edged her out in round three 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.
For round dates and TV times see the US Open 2026 schedule. The full tree is on our US Open 2026 bracket, and the live count of survivors is on the seed tracker.
Sinner Out, Alcaraz Back
Jannik Sinner withdrew on 21 August
The world No. 1 pulled out with a right knee injury nine days before the start. He had not played since winning Wimbledon in July and had already skipped Toronto and Cincinnati.
“We have been back on court in Monte Carlo over the last couple of days and have realised that I still need more time to recover,” he said. “I’m obviously very sad and disappointed, as New York has a special place in my heart.”
It is his first missed major since his debut at the 2019 US Open. He is only the second reigning ATP No. 1 to skip this tournament since computer rankings began in 1973, after Pete Sampras in 1999. Carlos Taberner took the place on a protected ranking.
Carlos Alcaraz came back and fell in the quarterfinals
The defending champion announced his return on 20 August with two words on social media: “Here we go.” He had not competed since retiring hurt at the Barcelona Open in April with a right wrist injury, missing Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Toronto and Cincinnati.
He entered no singles warm up event, and for four rounds it did not matter. He dropped one set on the way to the quarterfinals, beating Roman Safiullin, Jaime Faria, Wu Yibing and Tommy Paul.
Ben Shelton ended it 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7), the American serving his way through a final set tiebreak. Alcaraz leaves New York without the title he arrived holding.
Holger Rune also stayed away. He withdrew on 21 August, still rebuilding from the Achilles injury he suffered in Stockholm last October, and said he did not want a Grand Slam to be his first event back.
US Open 2026 Wild Cards
Eight wild cards go into each singles draw. Both lists shifted after 18 August, because Martin Damm and Alexei Popyrin moved into direct entry as withdrawals lowered the cutoff, freeing two places.
Men’s wild cards
- Gael Monfils (FRA), reciprocal French federation place in his farewell season
- Stan Wawrinka (SUI), the 2016 champion, added on 26 August after Patrick Kypson withdrew injured
- Dane Sweeny (AUS), reciprocal Tennis Australia place
- J.J. Wolf (USA), US Open Wild Card Challenge winner
- Michael Zheng (USA), back to back NCAA singles champion
- Jack Kennedy (USA), 18 year old USTA National 18s champion
- Sebastian Gorzny (USA), Next Gen Accelerator qualifier
- Darwin Blanch (USA), 18 year old drawn against Taylor Fritz
Two of them justified the pick. Dane Sweeny beat 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti to reach the third round, and Michael Zheng won two matches on his Grand Slam main draw debut. Wawrinka had already posted a farewell message after being left off the first list, and his late call up ended quickly: Matteo Berrettini beat him 7-6(4), 7-6(3), 6-0.
Women’s wild cards
- Venus Williams (USA), champion in 2000 and 2001, a record 26th main draw at 46
- Sloane Stephens (USA), 2017 champion, up from No. 1,098 to No. 240 this season
- Sofia Kenin (USA), 2020 Australian Open champion, given the place Serena Williams declined
- Carol Young Suh Lee (USA), US Open Wild Card Challenge winner
- Reese Brantmeier (USA), American Collegiate Player Wild Card Playoff winner
- Thea Frodin (USA), USTA Girls’ 18s national champion, drawn against Elena Rybakina
- Taylah Preston (AUS), reciprocal Tennis Australia place
- Leolia Jeanjean (FRA), reciprocal French federation place
Americans took 11 of the 16 wild cards. The four reciprocal places, two French and two Australian, are fixed by agreement between the federations, so the hosts can never take more than 12.
Qualifiers Who Reached the Main Draw
Rain pushed qualifying into a fifth day, so the last 16 places in each draw were only settled on Friday 28 August. One of those 16 went further than any seed expected.
- Zheng Qinwen reached the quarterfinals from qualifying. The 2024 Olympic champion beat eighth seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round before losing to Elena Rybakina 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
- Kristina Liutova, 16, became the first female player born in the 2010s to reach a Grand Slam main draw. She took the opening set off Zheng in round one before losing 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.
- Rei Sakamoto, 20, ended Kei Nishikori’s farewell run 6-4, 7-6(3) in an all Japanese final round.
Grigor Dimitrov and Hugo Gaston also came through. Nishesh Basavareddy beat top qualifying seed Arthur Gea 6-3, 6-1, though Gea got into the main draw as a lucky loser and reached the fourth round anyway.
Elvina Kalieva and Mary Stoiana made their first Grand Slam main draws. Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 champion, missed out after losing to Tamara Zidansek.
How the 128 main draw places are filled
| Route | Places |
|---|---|
| Direct entry by ranking | 104 |
| Wild cards | 8 |
| Qualifiers | 16 |
Seeding rules and the bracket structure are explained in our draw guide.
What the Williams Sisters Played
Venus took a singles wild card at 46, a record 26th US Open main draw and the oldest woman in the singles field since Renee Richards in 1981. Rain pushed her all wild card meeting with Sofia Kenin to a 12:13am start, the latest in tournament history. She led the second set tiebreak 6-2 with four set points, then lost 6-2, 7-6(6) in 1 hour 48 minutes.
Serena turned down the singles wild card the USTA held open for her and played doubles only. She and Venus took a wild card into the women’s doubles, their first Grand Slam appearance as a pair since 2022.
She also played the Fan Week mixed doubles with Carlos Alcaraz, beating Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool before losing in the quarterfinals. Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik won that title on 26 August, beating Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 1-6, 10-6.
US Open 2026 Players Who Withdrew
Twenty three players withdrew in all, 14 men and nine women. Ten men and all nine women came out of the entry list early, so each place passed to the next ranked entrant. The tables below cover those.
| Men | Replaced by |
|---|---|
| Jannik Sinner | Carlos Taberner |
| Jack Draper | Lucky loser |
| Holger Rune | Facundo Díaz Acosta |
| João Fonseca | Jacob Fearnley (lucky loser) |
| Alejandro Davidovich Fokina | Alexei Popyrin |
| Sebastian Korda | Aleksandar Vukic |
| Gabriel Diallo | Wu Yibing |
| Ethan Quinn | Martin Damm |
| Emilio Nava | Benjamin Bonzi |
| Patrick Kypson | Stan Wawrinka |
| Women | Replaced by |
|---|---|
| Victoria Mboko | Mananchaya Sawangkaew |
| Emma Raducanu | Anna Blinkova |
| Hailey Baptiste | Kaitlin Quevedo |
| Jaqueline Cristian | Darja Vidmanová |
| Laura Siegemund | Nadia Podoroska |
| Ajla Tomljanović | Ella Seidel |
| Varvara Gracheva | Anastasia Zakharova |
| Jil Teichmann | Julia Grabher |
| Irina Camelia Begu | Elsa Jacquemot |
Four more men came out after the draw was made: Ugo Humbert, Casper Ruud, who was seeded 19th, Marin Cilic and Thanasi Kokkinakis. Places that open this late go to lucky losers, players beaten in the final round of qualifying.
Emma Raducanu is the biggest loss after Sinner. The 2021 champion announced on 3 August that a stress fracture in her lower right leg rules her out, the same injury that cost her Wimbledon. Her last match was the Queen’s Club final in June.
Nick Kyrgios is absent for a different reason. The ITIA provisionally suspended him from 4 August after a sample given at the Mallorca Championships on 22 June tested positive for a cocaine metabolite. The ban covers coaching and attendance as well as playing.
Victoria Mboko hurt her left knee at Queen’s Club and missed the North American swing. Hailey Baptiste is out for the season after tearing her ACL and meniscus at Roland Garros. Sebastian Korda had back surgery in early August.
Why so many withdrawals this year
The number is high enough that the ATP was asked to explain it. Its response was that “injuries are rarely attributable to a single factor,” pointing to medical history, match and training load, travel, surface transitions and recovery.
Coach Patrick Mouratoglou blamed two things: inconsistent balls between events, and slower courts that force longer rallies and harder hitting. The US Open is the only major where the men and women use different balls, the men’s being heavier.
American US Open 2026 Players to Watch
The United States led all nations with 28 direct entries, 14 men and 14 women, and took 11 of the 16 singles wild cards. It has three of the eight semifinalists.
- Ben Shelton is the story of the men’s draw. The eighth seed beat Stefanos Tsitsipas and then defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in five sets to reach the semifinals.
- Frances Tiafoe, seeded 11th, beat Daniil Medvedev in the fourth round and came from two sets down against Alex Michelsen in the quarterfinals. He meets Shelton next.
- Jessica Pegula played the first match of the tournament and has not stopped, beating Emma Navarro in an all American quarterfinal to reach the last four.
- Coco Gauff came through a three set quarterfinal against Mirra Andreeva and faces Elena Rybakina for a place in the final.
- Alex Michelsen and Taylor Townsend were the surprises, Michelsen reaching the quarterfinals and Townsend the fourth round after beating two seeds.
How It Finished and Who Went Early
Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton to complete the 2026 US Open title double alongside Elena Rybakina’s women’s win. The women’s last four were the top four seeds, the first time that has happened at Flushing Meadows since 2019. The men’s were anything but.
| Stage | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Semifinal | Zverev (1) beat Khachanov 6-3, 7-6(7), 7-6(6) | Sabalenka (1) beat Pegula (3) 7-5, 6-2 |
| Semifinal | Shelton (8) beat Tiafoe (11) 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 7-5 | Rybakina (2) beat Gauff (4) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 |
| Final | Zverev beat Shelton 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 5-7, 6-2 | Rybakina beat Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 |
First round casualties
Five seeds fell in each first round, and Casper Ruud, seeded 19th, withdrew after the draw without hitting a ball.
| Seed out | Beaten by | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Novak Djokovic (4) | Mariano Navone | 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 |
| Arthur Fils (10) | Stefanos Tsitsipas | 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-1, 6-4 |
| Rafael Jodar (12) | Bu Yunchaokete, lucky loser | 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 |
| Cameron Norrie (29) | Luca Van Assche | 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 |
| Matteo Arnaldi (30) | James Duckworth | 5-7, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6(8) |
| Belinda Bencic (12) | Yulia Putintseva | 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 |
| Maja Chwalinska (20) | Taylor Townsend | 6-2, 6-3 |
| Barbora Krejcikova (27) | Kamilla Rakhimova | 7-6(4), 6-2 |
| Sara Bejlek (28) | Cristina Bucsa | 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 |
| Jelena Ostapenko (30) | Tatjana Maria | 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 |
Djokovic’s defeat was the shock of the fortnight. In 20 US Opens the four time champion had never lost in the first round, and the 4 hour 36 minute match was the longest opener of his Grand Slam career.
It also meant no member of the Big Three reached a major second round for the first time since the 2003 French Open. Navone went on to the third round.
Rafael Jodar’s exit is the oddest of the ten. Thanasi Kokkinakis withdrew after the draw, Bu Yunchaokete came in as the lucky loser who took his place, and Bu then dismissed the 12th seed for the loss of four games.
The seeds who followed them out
Round two took third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, beaten by Karen Khachanov, and sixth seed Alex de Minaur, beaten by Botic van de Zandschulp, along with Musetti (13), Nakashima (16), Rublev (23), Buse (32) and Sakkari (32).
The women’s third round cost six more in an afternoon, including Karolina Muchova (7), Diana Shnaider (15), Ekaterina Alexandrova (18), Jasmine Paolini (19), Ann Li (29) and Leylah Fernandez (31). Taylor Fritz (9) and Flavio Cobolli (5) went the same day. Iga Swiatek (8) and Daniil Medvedev (7) lasted until the fourth round.
Against all that, the outsiders held up well. Zheng Qinwen reached the quarterfinals from qualifying, lucky loser Arthur Gea made the fourth round, and Wu Yibing, in the field only as the entry list replacement for Gabriel Diallo, reached the last 32.
Our seed tracker keeps the running count and the daily results page carries every score. Full draw sheets come from the USTA.
The 2026 Majors So Far
| Major | Men’s champion | Women’s champion |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | Carlos Alcaraz | Elena Rybakina |
| Roland Garros | Alexander Zverev | Mirra Andreeva |
| Wimbledon | Jannik Sinner | Linda Nosková |
| US Open | Alexander Zverev | Elena Rybakina |
Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev each won two of the four 2026 majors. Rybakina added New York to the Australian Open, and Zverev added it to Roland Garros. Ben Shelton finished his breakthrough season as a Grand Slam finalist.
FAQ About US Open 2026 Players
Who won the 2026 US Open?
Elena Rybakina won the women’s title, beating Aryna Sabalenka 6-4, 5-7, 6-2, and Alexander Zverev won the men’s, beating Ben Shelton 6-3, 7-6(7-2), 5-7, 6-2. Both were their second major of 2026, Rybakina’s to go with the Australian Open and Zverev’s with Roland Garros.
Is Carlos Alcaraz still in the 2026 US Open?
No. The defending champion lost the quarterfinal to Ben Shelton 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-3, 1-6, 7-6(7). He had returned from a four month wrist injury without playing a warm up event and dropped only one set in his first four matches. Shelton went on to reach the final, where he lost to Zverev.
Is Jannik Sinner playing the 2026 US Open?
No. The world No. 1 withdrew on 21 August with a right knee injury, having not played since winning Wimbledon. It is his first missed major since his debut at the 2019 US Open, and he is only the second reigning ATP No. 1 to skip the tournament since 1973. Carlos Taberner replaced him.
Why did Novak Djokovic lose in the first round?
Djokovic was beaten by Mariano Navone 7-6(5), 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 on 30 August. He appeared unwell and the match lasted 4 hours 36 minutes, the longest first round of his Grand Slam career. In 20 US Opens he had never lost in the opening round before.
Who is the No. 1 seed at the 2026 US Open?
Alexander Zverev in the men’s draw and Aryna Sabalenka in the women’s. Zverev is world No. 2 but tops the seeding because Sinner withdrew, so every man is seeded one place above his ranking. Zverev won the men’s title and Sabalenka finished runner-up in the women’s.
Who received US Open 2026 wild cards?
Men: Gael Monfils, Stan Wawrinka, Dane Sweeny, J.J. Wolf, Michael Zheng, Jack Kennedy, Sebastian Gorzny and Darwin Blanch. Women: Venus Williams, Sloane Stephens, Sofia Kenin, Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, Thea Frodin, Taylah Preston and Leolia Jeanjean. Americans took 11 of the 16.
How many players withdrew from the 2026 US Open?
Twenty three before the first ball, 14 men and nine women. The biggest names are Jannik Sinner, Jack Draper, Holger Rune, Joao Fonseca, Casper Ruud and Sebastian Korda among the men, and Emma Raducanu, Victoria Mboko and Hailey Baptiste among the women. Nick Kyrgios is also absent, provisionally suspended by the ITIA since 4 August.
The US Open 2026 players field has crowned both its champions. Elena Rybakina took the women’s title on 12 September and Alexander Zverev beat Ben Shelton for the men’s title on 13 September, his second major of the year after Roland Garros.
Follow every scoreline on our live scores page and the daily US Open results page. This page is updated as the field narrows.