US Open 2026: Sinner Out Injured, Alcaraz Back, Sabalenka Chasing a Three-Peat
The 2026 US Open lost its most important name before a ball was struck. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury, taking the sport's most consistent hard-court player out of a tournament he would otherwise have started as favourite. That single absence reframes the men's event: the draw is genuinely open in a way a Slam rarely is, and every seed in the top half now has a plausible route deep into the second week.
Into that gap steps Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, back from a wrist injury that had kept him off tour since the spring. He opened his defence with a composed straight-sets win over Roman Safiullin, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, showing no visible hesitation on the shot the injury most threatened. On the women's side, defending champion Aryna Sabalenka came through her first match against Camila Osorio 6-2, 6-4, though her recent form has been patchier than a two-time defending champion's usually is.
Alcaraz and the wrist
Wrist injuries are among the most disruptive an attacking baseliner can have, because so much of the modern game's power and spin comes from the forearm and hand. The early signs in New York were encouraging — clean ball-striking, aggressive returning, no sign of him protecting the joint. But the real test of a layoff that long is a physical five-set match in the second week against someone who makes him hit an extra ball every rally. Until he plays one and comes through it, the fitness question stays half-open, even with the draw in his favour.
Sabalenka's three-peat bid, on shaky form
Sabalenka has made hard courts her territory: the serve buys free points, the return neutralises other big hitters, and the US Open's medium-fast conditions suit a first-strike game. What is different in 2026 is that she arrives without the aura of inevitability she carried the past two years. A dip in results through the summer means she has to win this the hard way, match by match. If she does, she becomes the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three US Opens in a row — rare company regardless of how she gets there.
The generational picture
Men's tennis had settled into an Alcaraz–Sinner duopoly, the pair sharing most of the recent majors while the chasing pack tried to break through. Sinner's absence is a stress test of how thin that pack really is: if a first-time Slam finalist emerges, it says the depth is closer than the rankings suggest; if Alcaraz strolls through, it confirms the top two have been carrying the men's game. The women's draw was already the more open of the two, and Sabalenka's form only widens it. Read more blogs and updates on 9wickets.
How the draw could open up
Early-round upsets at Flushing Meadows are common anyway — the heat, the wind that swirls through the show courts, and the night-session atmosphere all reward players comfortable in chaos. Add a missing world No. 1 and a shaky top seed on the women's side, and the conditions for a breakout run are as good as they have been in years. That unpredictability, more than the identity of the favourites, is what makes the US Open the most watchable of the four majors.
FAQ
Why is Jannik Sinner not playing the US Open 2026?
He withdrew before the tournament with a knee injury.
Who are the defending champions?
Carlos Alcaraz in the men's singles and Aryna Sabalenka in the women's singles.
What did Alcaraz do in the first round?
He beat Roman Safiullin 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, in his first match back from a wrist injury that had sidelined him since the spring.
What would a Sabalenka title mean?
She would be the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win three consecutive US Open singles titles.
Why does the US Open produce so many upsets?
The late-summer heat, the wind through the stadiums and the charged night sessions all favour players who handle disruption well — and a depleted top of the draw in 2026 adds to it.