The U.S. Open draw, announced on Thursday, has placed defending champion Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on opposite sides, setting up the potential for another final showdown between the two tennis stars. This comes after their recent encounters at Wimbledon and the Paris Olympics.
Carlos Alcaraz, seeded No. 3, might face a significant challenge in the semifinals against No. 1 Jannik Sinner. Sinner has been in the spotlight recently due to a doping case that emerged this week. He tested positive twice for an anabolic steroid in March but was cleared after it was determined that the banned substance entered his system through a massage from his trainer.
On the women’s side, No. 3 seed Coco Gauff, who claimed her first Grand Slam title in New York last year, will start her campaign against France’s Varvara Gracheva. Gauff could potentially meet No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the semifinals, a rematch of their 2023 final.
The U.S. Open begins on Monday and concludes on September 8.
Djokovic, who secured his men’s-record 24th Grand Slam singles title last year at Flushing Meadows, has yet to add to that tally. He lost to Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals, withdrew from the French Open due to a right knee injury, and was defeated by Alcaraz at Wimbledon.
In a rematch at the Paris Games this month, Djokovic overcame Alcaraz in two tiebreakers, earning his first Olympic gold medal.
Djokovic, the No. 2 seed, has not played since the Olympics. Both he and Alcaraz will face opponents who advance from this week’s qualifying rounds in New York.
Sinner, a 23-year-old from Italy who won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, will play American Mackie McDonald in the first round.
In women’s action, two former U.S. Open champions returning after missing last year’s tournament could face tough opening matches. Naomi Osaka, a four-time major champion who returned to competition this season after maternity leave, will face No. 10 seed Jelena Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open champion. Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion who has struggled with injuries, will meet No. 5 seed Jasmine Paolini, the runner-up at this year’s French Open and Wimbledon.
Another notable first-round match features 2021 U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu against American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open winner.
Men’s first-round matchups of interest include No. 13 seed Ben Shelton, who reached the semifinals last year, facing 2020 U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem, who has received a wild card for what will be his final Grand Slam tournament before retirement. No. 18 seed Lorenzo Musetti, a Wimbledon semifinalist and Olympic bronze medalist for Italy, will play American Reilly Opelka.
Potential men’s quarterfinals include Sinner vs. 2021 U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic vs. No. 6 Andrey Rublev, Alcaraz vs. No. 7 Hubert Hurkacz, and 2020 runner-up Alexander Zverev vs. 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud.
The possible women’s quarterfinal matchups are No. 1 Iga Swiatek vs. No. 6 Jessica Pegula, Sabalenka vs. Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, Gauff vs. two-time major champion Barbora Krejcikova, and 2022 Wimbledon winner Elena Rybakina vs. Paolini.
