Sinner Out, Alcaraz Favourite as US Open 2026 Opens Without World No. 1

**NEW YORK, Aug 25, 2026** — The 2026 US Open began at Flushing Meadows on Monday with men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner absent after withdrawing with a right knee injury, leaving Carlos Alcaraz as the headline attraction in New York.

Sinner announced his withdrawal on Aug 21, saying he still needed time to recover, according to the tournament and Reuters. Britain's Jack Draper and Denmark's Holger Rune also pulled out injured, Reuters reported. With the defending tour dominant force sidelined, The New York Times framed the men's field on Tuesday as Alcaraz's to lose, with Novak Djokovic chasing a 25th major title.

Qualifying continued Tuesday after Monday's opening rounds, while the main draw gets under way this week, per the official schedule published by olympics.com and USA Today.

Off-court attention centres on a mixed-doubles wild card pairing 23-time major champion Serena Williams with Alcaraz. Williams is not playing singles, ESPN reported. The mixed doubles draw, released Sunday, has Aryna Sabalenka and Djokovic as top seeds, the tournament said.

Total player compensation for this year's event stands at $108 million, the largest package in tennis history, organisers said Thursday.

Scores from early qualifying rounds remain **Unverified** pending official confirmation.

**Sources:** US Open, Reuters, Google News coverage

**Sources:** usopen.org, Reuters, Google News