Sabalenka arrives at Flushing Meadows in poor form as men’s draw opens up after Sinner withdrawal
On 28 August 2026, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka arrives at Flushing Meadows for the US Open in poor form, while the men’s draw has been stretched open by Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal with a knee injury.
Sabalenka’s preparation was undermined by a straight-sets loss in Cincinnati to Sára Bejlek, despite leading 5-1 in the first-set tiebreak and 4-1 in the second; that defeat extended a 17-7 record since the start of April during which she has not reached a final. She is attempting to claim her first Grand Slam title of the year at the US Open, a tournament she has won on the last two occasions.
Elena Rybakina begins the event sitting at No 1 in the live standings and would become the new world No 1 if she reaches the semi-finals regardless of other results; Sabalenka must win the title to retain the top ranking. The live ranking permutations also allow Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula to move to No 1 if either wins the title and Rybakina fails to make the semi-finals.
Rybakina’s physical condition is uncertain after she retired from her quarter-final against Iga Świątek last week with a leg injury. Gauff, having altered her service action and endured emotional struggles a year ago, rebuilt confidence in her serve en route to the Cincinnati title, while Świątek arrives fresh from success in Toronto and, according to the report, has looked rejuvenated after earlier struggles with anxiety and nerves.
Pegula reached the Cincinnati final and defeated Świątek in that run, providing another consistent threat in the draw; the strength at the top is underlined by the fact that every player inside the top 11 currently holds a WTA 1000 title or above. Those facts together frame a crowded field of contenders for the women’s crown.
On the men’s side, Sinner’s withdrawal with a knee injury has been described as cracking the tournament wide open. Carlos Alcaraz returns after a four-month layoff with a right wrist injury and only a few weeks of training, and observers pointed to his cautious serving in mixed doubles with Serena Williams as evidence of lingering rust; Alexander Zverev, who won his first Grand Slam title in Paris, arrives as the top seed.
Montreal champion Ben Shelton and Cincinnati champion Arthur Fils, close friends, were drawn to meet in the fourth round, while other contenders include French Open finalist Flavio Cobolli, who reached the Cincinnati semi-final, and the rising 19-year-old Rafael Jódar, who was ranked No 369 this time last year. A group of U.S. players—Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Learner Tien and Brandon Nakashima—have found strong form, and Félix Auger-Aliassime, the third seed, will aim to replicate his run to the semi-final on these courts last year.
Novak Djokovic reached the Australian Open final and the Wimbledon semi-final this season and remains in contention at Grand Slams, but he must manage a stream of physical problems that can worsen over a fortnight. The report notes that, had the slams been this open in 2025 he would have been heavily favoured to become the oldest champion in history, and it concludes that the pursuit of Grand Slam No 25 is still alive for Djokovic in New York.