Records Carlos Alcaraz Can Chase at the 2026 US Open
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his defence of the men's singles crown at the 2026 US Open in New York on August 31, the tournament organisers have confirmed. The match will be his first competitive appearance since mid-April after a four-month absence from the tour.
A right wrist injury in April sidelined Alcaraz for four months and forced him to miss the clay Masters events, Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the entire North American hard-court swing, including the Cincinnati Open. Despite that layoff, Alcaraz already recorded a major achievement this year when he beat Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open final to complete a career Grand Slam at a younger age than any man in the Open Era.
If Alcaraz lifts the US Open trophy again, he would move to eight Grand Slam titles and become the second-youngest man ever to reach that total. Bjorn Borg reached eight majors at 23 years and 31 days after winning Wimbledon in 1979 a month following his seventh at Roland Garros; Alcaraz, if victorious in New York, would be around four months older than Borg was at that point. An eighth major would place Alcaraz ahead of Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on the all-time list for youngest to eight.
No man has successfully defended the US Open men's singles title since Roger Federer completed his run of five straight championships in 2008. A repeat by Alcaraz would end an 18-year stretch without a successful defence at Flushing Meadows.
When Alcaraz won the Australian Open in January it was his seventh major from just 20 Grand Slam appearances, the second-fastest attainment of seven in the Open Era behind Bjorn Borg, who reached eight from the same number of tries. Winning in New York would give him eight titles from 21 attempts and place him second on that list, ahead of Rafael Nadal and John McEnroe. Alcaraz already holds this record outright.
Across five previous appearances at the US Open, Alcaraz has compiled a 24-3 record, a win rate just above 88 percent that the article states is better than any other man in the tournament’s Open Era history, ahead of Sampras, Federer, Djokovic and Jimmy Connors. Every match he wins at the 2026 US Open will extend that mark further.
Since the Masters 1000 format began in 1990, no man has won the US Open without having appeared at either the Canadian Open or the Cincinnati Open beforehand. Should Alcaraz retain his title, he would become the first man to win the US Open without participating at the Canadian or Cincinnati Open, having skipped the entire hard-court swing including Cincinnati.
Defending champion Alcaraz will start his campaign on August 31 (Monday) against Roman Safiullin in the first round at Flushing Meadows.
