Defending US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz will navigate an unusually open draw after two major contenders fell away before the tournament reached its stride. Novak Djokovic lost to Mariano Navone in a four-hour, 36-minute first-round match, ending an 84-match streak of never losing an opening-round match at a Grand Slam, while Jannik Sinner withdrew before the draw with a knee injury.
Why the draw looks so different this year
The absence of Djokovic and Sinner, combined with Arthur Fils's four-set loss to Stefanos Tsitsipas after squandering a 6-4, 4-1 lead, has removed several of the tournament's expected challengers. Fils had arrived as a dark horse after winning his first Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati. The departures mean Alcaraz will face significantly fewer seeded threats than anticipated when the draw was made.
Alcaraz's fitness question
The defending champion is playing his first singles matches since April following a wrist injury that wiped out his spring and summer. His lack of recent competition comes at a moment when the field is most vulnerable, creating both opportunity and risk as he attempts to win a third US Open title.
Zverev positioned as top contender
Alexander Zverev holds the top seed and carries the best Grand Slam record in the field at 18-2 in 2026, according to Tennisuptodate.com. He won Roland Garros earlier this year and reached the Wimbledon final before losing to Sinner. However, his hard-court form immediately before New York has been uneven: he lost in the first round in Montreal to Tallon Griekspoor and exited Cincinnati in the fourth round after squandering a match point against Tommy Paul. Zverev previously reached the US Open final in 2020, when he served for the title before Dominic Thiem won in a fifth-set tiebreak.
Sources
- Tennisuptodate.com: Djokovic is out so who is now the biggest threat to Carlos Alcaraz?. Published 2026-09-02.
Reported from public sources.