Defending champion Jannik Sinner has been handed a relatively smooth path to the U.S. Open final, while Aryna Sabalenka faces a tricky road in her title defence after the draw was announced on Thursday.
Sinner’s fitness has been under the spotlight after he pulled out of the Cincinnati final earlier this week while trailing Carlos Alcaraz 5-0, and later withdrew from mixed doubles in New York. The Italian, however, will be relieved with a favourable draw as he begins against Czech Vit Kopriva. His projected route includes fifth seed Jack Draper in the quarter-finals, third seed Alexander Zverev in the semis, and a possible final clash with Alcaraz.
Alcaraz, the French Open champion, finds himself in a stacked bottom half. The Spaniard opens against American Reilly Opelka and could face Ben Shelton in the quarters and 2024 runner-up Taylor Fritz in the semis.
Novak Djokovic, chasing a fifth U.S. Open crown, starts against Learner Tien. Seeded seventh, he is in line for a fourth-round meeting with Frances Tiafoe, a quarter-final against Fritz and a possible semi-final showdown with Alcaraz.
In the women’s field, top seed Sabalenka begins against Rebeka Masarova but faces a demanding route. The Belarusian could run into Cincinnati finalist Jasmine Paolini in the quarters, Jessica Pegula in the semis and Wimbledon winner Iga Swiatek in the title clash.
Swiatek, fresh from her Cincinnati win, opens against Colombia’s Emiliana Arango and could meet Amanda Anisimova in a quarter-final rematch of their one-sided Wimbledon final. French Open champion Coco Gauff, the third seed, could face Australian Open winner Madison Keys in the quarters before a possible clash with Swiatek.
Among the eye-catching first-round fixtures, two-time champion Venus Williams, playing her first Grand Slam since the 2023 U.S. Open, will meet 11th seed Karolina Muchova. Naomi Osaka, seeded 23rd, takes on Belgium’s Greet Minnen, while 18-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, fresh off her breakthrough title in Montreal, faces Barbora Krejcikova.
The year’s final Grand Slam gets underway on Sunday, with both men’s and women’s champions set to receive $5 million each.
