US Open 2026 qualifying: schedule, leading entrants and where to watch
The US Open 2026 qualifying tournament will be staged at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City from August 24 to August 27, with 16 main-draw places available on both the ATP and WTA sides.
The qualifying draw has attracted a large and varied field, featuring established journeymen, rising talents and several protected-ranking entries alongside a handful of former top-100 regulars. Tournament organisers and media coverage have singled out a number of names on both the men’s and women’s lists as ones to watch as players chase the 16 available main-draw spots per tour.
On the men’s side Arthur Gea, Facundo Diaz Acosta, Coleman Wong, Hugo Gaston and Benjamin Bonzi are among the headline entries in a bracket described in the coverage as packed with journeymen and rising talents alike. The presence of protected-ranking entrants and past top-100 players has been noted as adding further intrigue to the men’s qualifying draw.
Polina Kudermetova and Francesca Jones are listed as the leading names on the women’s side of the qualifying field. The women’s bracket similarly mixes established challengers with younger players seeking a breakthrough into the main draw.
Indian interest centres on Sumit Nagal, who returns to Grand Slam qualifying after a period away from this stage; he was once inside the top-70 rankings but now finds himself outside the top 300. Coverage lists Nagal as the lone Indian participant in the qualifying rounds.
Broadcast arrangements vary by territory: in India qualifying matches will be shown on the Star Sports network and streamed via JioHotstar; in the United Kingdom coverage is exclusive to Sky Sports, available through Sky Sports Tennis on Sky TV packages or streamed with NOW TV’s Sports Month pass; in the United States matches will air on ESPN2 with multi-court coverage also available via the ESPN App and the US Open streaming hub, with access to digital coverage requiring an eligible ESPN subscription or a participating pay-TV provider.
Qualifying play runs from Monday, August 24 through Thursday, August 27 on the outdoor hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center; for ongoing updates Khel Now lists its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram channels and offers a Khel Now Android App and iOS App, plus community groups on WhatsApp and Telegram. The story was written by Aniruddh Seshadri Iyer, a sports journalist at Khel Now who specialises in tennis and Olympic sports.