The draws for the men's and women's singles at the U.S. Open were released Thursday, setting the path for defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka as they begin their title defenses. Main draw play at the final Grand Slam tournament of the season is scheduled to commence on Sunday.
Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, is set to face Roman Safiullin in his opening match. This marks Alcaraz's first singles competition since April, as the two-time U.S. Open champion had to miss both the French Open and Wimbledon due to a right wrist injury. Although he played in the mixed doubles tournament, his singles play may require sharper focus against Safiullin, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon.
Alexander Zverev, who became the No. 1 seed following Jannik Sinner's withdrawal due to a knee injury, will open his campaign against Italy's Lorenzo Sonego.
In the women's draw, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion, is slated to play Camila Osorio in her first match. Sabalenka could face Linda Noskova, the No. 6 seed and Wimbledon champion, in the quarterfinals.
Potential quarterfinal matchups in the women's singles include No. 2 Elena Rybakina against No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Jessica Pegula versus No. 7 Karolina Muchova, and No. 4 Coco Gauff against No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, the French Open champion. Pegula, who starts against Elena-Gabriela Ruse, could meet the winner of the Venus Williams vs. Sofia Kenin match in the second round.
For the men, potential quarterfinal matchups feature No. 1 Zverev against No. 6 Alex de Minaur, No. 2 Alcaraz against No. 8 Ben Shelton, No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime versus No. 5 Flavio Cobolli, and No. 4 Novak Djokovic against No. 7 Daniil Medvedev.
Earlier in the day, it was revealed that Venus Williams, who received a wild card into the event at 46, and Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion, were randomly drawn to face each other in the first round. This pairing emerged after Serena Williams opted to compete only in doubles, foregoing a potential singles run.
Other notable first-round matches include No. 10 seed Arthur Fils, fresh off his Cincinnati Open title, facing Stefanos Tsitsipas. Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, will play his final Grand Slam tournament against Matteo Berrettini. Andrey Rublev, the No. 23 seed, is set to play 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, while No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti will face Arthur Fery.
Some opening-round pairings were pending the conclusion of qualifying tournaments, which were scheduled to finish on Thursday.