Blog · US Open · 24 Jul 2026 · 9 min read · Updated July 24, 2026
US Open 2026 Players to Watch: Sinner, Sabalenka & More
**The 2026 US Open field is led by world No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka.** Sinner arrives after defending Wimbledon; Sabalenka is chasing a third consecutive New York title. The entry lists also include defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz, 2026 major winners Alexander Zverev, Elena Rybakina, Mirra Andreeva and Linda Nosková, and former champions Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff. Entry is not the same as a final start, so fitness and withdrawals still matter before the draw.
Men's Players to Watch at the 2026 US Open
The men's field has a clear form leader, two reigning 2026 major champions behind him, a defending champion returning from injury, and a 24-time major winner who remains dangerous in best-of-five tennis.
1. Jannik Sinner — the player setting the pace
Sinner is the world No. 1, the 2024 US Open champion, and the freshest major winner after defending Wimbledon in July. He has won six Big Titles in 2026, including five consecutive Masters 1000 trophies and Wimbledon, and begins the North American swing with a large rankings lead.
New York is also unfinished business. Sinner reached the 2025 final before losing to Alcaraz. His combination of compact returning, early baseline contact, and improved serving makes a hard court the cleanest place for his current game to travel.
2. Alexander Zverev — a major champion at last
Zverev ended his long wait for a Grand Slam title at Roland-Garros 2026, then reached the Wimbledon final. He was also a US Open finalist in 2020, so the stadium, surface, and late-round pressure are familiar.
His serve gives him a direct route through fast night conditions, while the question is whether he can recover physically and emotionally from two deep majors in succession. In a five-set draw, his seed and half will matter almost as much as the first opponent.
3. Carlos Alcaraz — the defending champion with a fitness question
Alcaraz won the 2025 US Open by beating Sinner in the final and is on the 2026 entry list. He also won the Australian Open in January, completing the Career Grand Slam.
The caution is important: he has not competed since Barcelona in April because of a wrist injury. Entry confirms intention, not readiness. If he returns healthy, his movement, forehand variety, and record against Sinner make him an immediate title threat; if his comeback is delayed, the men's draw changes before it is made.
4. Novak Djokovic — history is still in the draw
Djokovic is chasing a record-extending 25th major and his first Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open. At 39, he still reached the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semifinals in 2026.
His tournament path is less about weekly form than best-of-five problem-solving. The return remains built for a night session, and no active player has more experience surviving the second week. The harder question is recovery if consecutive rounds become long.
5. Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz — the American pressure pair
Shelton and Fritz lead the home men's entry. Shelton broke through with a 2023 US Open semifinal, while Fritz reached the 2024 final. Both can use the crowd and quick court to shorten matches behind the serve.
They are different threats: Shelton brings explosive left-handed patterns and emotional momentum; Fritz brings a flatter, more repeatable hard-court game. A favourable quarter could turn either into the tournament's central American story.
Women's Players to Watch at the 2026 US Open
The women's list is unusually open beneath a dominant defending champion. Three different women have won the first three majors of 2026, while several former New York champions remain in the field.
1. Aryna Sabalenka — chasing three in a row
Sabalenka is the world No. 1 and two-time defending US Open champion. A third consecutive title would make her the first woman to win three straight in New York since Serena Williams completed the run in 2014.
Her case begins with the serve and first forehand, but the larger advantage is familiarity: she knows how the Ashe court plays at night and how the second week feels. Everyone else is trying to take a tournament she has owned for two years.
2. Elena Rybakina — the Australian Open champion
Rybakina won the 2026 Australian Open, proving again that her serve and clean first-strike tennis scale to a hard-court major. When the first-serve percentage holds, she can remove time from even the best returners.
The US Open question is consistency across seven matches. Her peak level belongs beside Sabalenka's; the draw will show how early she may need to find it.
3. Mirra Andreeva — a major champion before New York
Andreeva arrives as the reigning Roland-Garros champion. Her rise is no longer a prospect story: she has already shown she can manage the tactical and emotional length of a Grand Slam.
Hard courts ask for more first-strike authority than clay, but her anticipation and ability to redirect pace make her difficult to rush. New York will test how quickly she can shift from absorbing a rally to owning it.
4. Linda Nosková — Wimbledon changed the category
Nosková won Wimbledon 2026 for her first major title, moving from dangerous young player to proven Grand Slam champion. The short turnaround to the North American swing means opponents will prepare for her differently.
Her ball-striking already suits a hard court. The new challenge is expectation: backing up a breakthrough major when every round treats you as the player to beat.
5. Coco Gauff — the home-crowd reset
Gauff is a former US Open champion and remains one of the few players who can turn defence into attack without conceding court position. New York also gives her the largest home-stage energy in the women's draw.
Her route depends on serve stability and how often she can use the forehand proactively. If those two pieces hold, the movement and return game make her a second-week threat regardless of seed.
The Next Group Beyond the Core Watchlist
A watchlist is not a prediction. Jessica Pegula, Amanda Anisimova, Iga Świątek, Naomi Osaka, Emma Raducanu, and the rest of a women's entry list containing 99 of the top 102 can change the tournament quickly. On the men's side, a healthy deep seed or an unseeded player arriving hot from Canada and Cincinnati can land in the wrong quarter for every favourite.
The most useful update will come after the seed list and draw. That is when a general contender becomes a specific route: projected quarterfinal, dangerous opener, night-session possibility, and the recovery pattern required to reach the second week.
How This Watchlist Will Be Updated
The list uses the official July entry lists, 2026 Grand Slam results, current rankings, previous US Open performance, and hard-court fit. It does not use betting odds, and it does not treat an entry as proof that an injured player will start.
We will revisit the page when wild cards, seeds, and the main draw are official. Players can withdraw, rankings can move, and the Canada and Cincinnati results will add the strongest evidence immediately before New York.
FAQs
- Who are the favourites for the 2026 US Open?
- Based on current form and ranking rather than betting odds, Jannik Sinner leads the men's watchlist and two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka leads the women's. The draw and August hard-court results can change that picture.
- Is Carlos Alcaraz playing the 2026 US Open?
- Alcaraz is on the official entry list and is the defending champion, but he has not competed since April because of a wrist injury. His fitness and final participation should be checked closer to the draw.
- Who are the defending US Open champions in 2026?
- Carlos Alcaraz is the defending men's singles champion, while Aryna Sabalenka is the two-time defending women's singles champion.
- Which 2026 Grand Slam champions are entered in the US Open?
- The entry lists include Australian Open champions Carlos Alcaraz and Elena Rybakina, Roland-Garros champions Alexander Zverev and Mirra Andreeva, and Wimbledon champions Jannik Sinner and Linda Nosková.
- Which American players should I watch at the 2026 US Open?
- Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz lead the American men's hopes. Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, and Amanda Anisimova are among the leading American women in the field.
- When will the US Open 2026 players and matchups be final?
- The entry lists are already published, but withdrawals, wild cards, qualifiers, seeds, and the main draw still need to be finalized. The official draw will determine the first-round matchups.
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