Carlos Alcaraz will confront a formidable first-round opponent in his return to singles competition following a four-month absence caused by a right wrist injury. The defending champion at the US Open has drawn world No 98 Roman Safiullin, an opponent whose ranking has surged more than 100 places this year after his own recovery from injury and who defeated Alcaraz indoors at the Paris Masters in 2023. The draw was officially set on Thursday, August 27, 2026, with main-draw play scheduled to commence on Sunday, August 30, 2026.
Alcaraz has not played competitive singles since sustaining his wrist injury at the Barcelona Open on 13 April, forcing him to miss both the French Open, where he was also the defending champion, and Wimbledon. The 23-year-old Spaniard made his return to court in the mixed doubles event earlier in the week alongside Serena Williams, wearing a long compression sleeve on his right arm. During that exhibition-like appearance, he appeared to be holding back on his serve and return as he eased himself back into matchplay. His opening singles match against Safiullin represents a substantial early hurdle in his title defence, as a Grand Slam bout played over five sets will be another step up physically from mixed doubles.
Safiullin, a 29-year-old Russian with a hefty serve and attacking groundstrokes, is not an ideal opponent to start against. The Russian reached the Wimbledon fourth round last month before falling to Novak Djokovic, and is likely to take time away from Alcaraz, test the Spaniard's durability at the baseline and generally make him feel uncomfortable. Despite his lack of action, the Spaniard is still considered by many as the favourite to triumph again—particularly because his great rival Jannik Sinner is not playing due to a knee injury. The men's draw at Flushing Meadows has become unusually wide open due to the uncertainty surrounding Alcaraz's match fitness and Sinner's absence. As the second seed, Alcaraz occupies a section that features both eighth seed Ben Shelton and 10th seed Arthur Fils, the respective winners of the Canadian Open and the two ATP Masters 1000 events preceding the US Open. If Alcaraz advances past Safiullin, his projected second-round opponents are Jaime Faria or Jenson Brooksby, with Matteo Arnaldi likely appearing in round three. Fils will encounter a prominent first-round matchup against former world No 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas.
What challenges lie ahead for Alcaraz?
The Spanish star's path through the draw presents escalating difficulty as the tournament progresses. The winner of Alcaraz's section is projected to face Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals, meaning the defending champion must navigate through multiple seeded opponents to reach the latter stages. If Alcaraz does get past Safiullin and goes as far as the fourth round, there are more potential opponents who appear daunting given the length of his absence. He could face rock solid American Tommy Paul or unpredictable Kazak Alexander Bublik in the last 16, with athletic Frenchman Arthur Fils and huge-serving Ben Shelton as potential quarter-final opponents. Djokovic could lie in wait in the semi-finals. The combination of limited match play following his extended injury layoff and the strength of competing seeds creates a demanding environment for his comeback bid. Nobody outside of Alcaraz and his core team knows how his wrist is likely to stand up to the rigours of playing five-set matches in the heat of a Grand Slam tournament.
How does Djokovic's path compare?
Four-time champion Novak Djokovic will pursue his attempt to become the oldest singles grand slam champion in the open era as the fourth seed positioned in Alcaraz's half of the draw. The 39-year-old Serbian veteran opens against Mariano Navone, with out-of-form seventh seed Daniil Medvedev representing the highest-ranked seed in his quarter. If he gets through that match, Djokovic faces a challenging second-round encounter against either Italy's Matteo Berrettini—whom he beat in the 2021 Wimbledon final—or three-time major champion Stan Wawrinka, in what will be the final major of the Swiss player's career after he was given a late wildcard. Djokovic is seeking a standalone record 25th Grand Slam singles title. Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion, enters as the top seed at a grand slam tournament for the first time and will face Italian Lorenzo Sonego in his opening fixture.
What is the women's draw landscape?
Despite varying form among the elite competitors, the strength of the women's upper seeding suggests that rank-and-file players will struggle to engineer career-defining breakthroughs. Aryna Sabalenka, the defending champion, begins her campaign against Camila Osorio while attempting to preserve her No 1 ranking following a challenging few months. Sabalenka has topped the WTA rankings for 97 weeks, but knows her place remains under threat from reigning Australian Open champion Elena Rybakina. The highest-ranked players in Sabalenka's half include in-form third seed Jessica Pegula, a potential semi-final opponent, Wimbledon champion and sixth seed Linda Noskova, and seventh seed Karolina Muchova, the Wimbledon runner-up.
Sabalenka's recent form introduces vulnerability even in early rounds. A potential third-round encounter with two-time grand slam champion and 27th seed Barbara Krejcikova cannot be dismissed given the defending champion's recent results. The composition of her half means that navigating to the final will require overcoming multiple formidable opponents in succession.
Which players dominate the bottom half?
The lower half of the women's draw overflows with title contenders and potential champions. Elena Rybakina, seeded second, appeared positioned to challenge Sabalenka for the world No 1 ranking, but her form remains uncertain after she was forced to retire from her quarter-final match against Iga Swiatek in Cincinnati last week due to a leg injury. Rybakina has been drawn against American teenage wildcard Thea Frodin. Swiatek, the eighth seed, and fourth seed Coco Gauff emerged as the two most notable performers in the build-up to the US Open, claiming titles in Toronto and Cincinnati respectively.
Swiatek could encounter Rybakina in the quarter-finals, while the highest-ranked player in Gauff's section is French Open champion and fifth seed Mirra Andreeva. Additional contenders include 13th seed and two-time champion Naomi Osaka, who could face Rybakina in round four, and last year's runner-up Amanda Anisimova. Two-time champion Venus Williams, 46, has been given a wildcard despite losing all 10 of her matches this season and faces 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round. The depth of talent in this section suggests that multiple potential finalists could emerge from the bottom half.
What about British players?
Surprise Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery returns to the Grand Slam stage with a first-round match against Italian 13th seed Lorenzo Musetti. Fery, 24, produced a career-changing run at the All England Club in July, propelling him into the world's top 40 for the first time and securing his US Open debut in the process. Fery narrowly missed out on a seeding, which has led to being drawn against Musetti. A quarter-finalist in New York last year, Musetti has recently returned from a thigh injury which ruled him out of the French Open and Wimbledon.
British men's number one Cameron Norrie, seeded 29th, plays France's Luca van Assche in his opening match. Jan Choinski is currently the only other Briton in the men's draw after reaching the world's top 100 for the first time in June at the age of 30. Choinski's reward for earning direct entry into a Grand Slam other than Wimbledon for the first time is a first-round contest with Dutch player Botic van de Zandschulp, who famously beat Alcaraz in the second round of the 2024 US Open.
Katie Boulter is the only Briton guaranteed a place in the women's draw through her ranking and meets American wildcard Carol Young Suh Lee, who is ranked 143rd in the world. If Boulter wins a Grand Slam match for only the second time this year, the 30-year-old could meet Wimbledon finalist Karolina Muchova in the second round. Six more Britons—Francesca Jones, Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel, Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Harry Wendelken—aim to reach the main draws by winning their final qualifying matches.
A lot of British attention will be placed on how Fery fares as he leads a rather sparse contingent in the absence of Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu. Draper, who reached the 2024 semi-finals, withdrew because of a long-term arm injury, while 2021 champion Raducanu remains sidelined with the shin fracture which also forced her to miss Wimbledon.
When does main-draw play begin?
Main-draw singles play begins on Sunday, August 30, 2026, and runs through Tuesday, September 8, 2026 for daytime and evening sessions. The men's and women's singles draws each feature 128-player fields, with the men's singles draw ceremony having taken place at 12 p.m. ET on August 27, 2026. Alcaraz's first-round match against Safiullin marks his opening fixture in the tournament as he pursues his second consecutive US Open title.
Key Facts
- Alcaraz has not competed in singles since 13 April due to a right wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open, missing the French Open and Wimbledon.
- Safiullin has climbed over 100 places in the world rankings this year following his own injury recovery and previously defeated Alcaraz indoors at the Paris Masters in 2023.
- The men's draw is unusually open due to Alcaraz's match fitness concerns and the absence of world No 1 Jannik Sinner from the tournament.
- Aryna Sabalenka defends her title while attempting to maintain her No 1 ranking after a difficult recent period, having topped the WTA rankings for 97 weeks.
- The women's bottom half contains multiple title contenders including Elena Rybakina, Iga Swiatek, and Coco Gauff, creating a competitive path to the final.
