Less than a week after competing in the revamped mixed doubles event, some of the world’s top tennis players – Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Gaël Monfils and Iga Swiatek – will start their quests for the US Open singles crown.
Djokovic, 38, opens against 19-year-old American Learner Tien on Monday. The Serb is chasing a record 25th singles title at the Grand Slam tournament venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York.
Fellow 38-year-old Monfils will lend his renowned showmanship to an opening round tie against Russian Roman Safiullin.
The Frenchman is playing his 16th US Open. He reached the semifinals in 2016. Djokovic has reached the last four in New York 13 times, winning four titles and losing six finals.
Seventh seed Djokovic shares the same side of the draw as Alcaraz, the winner in 2022.
The 23-year-old Spaniard, who begins against American Reilly Opelka, has since added four more major trophies.
New look at tournament
Alcaraz paired with 2021 women’s champion Emma Raducanu in the mixed doubles – which was one of the most salient and controversial changes at the 2025 US Open.
Another new feature is a Sunday start to an event dating back to 1881. Men’s and women’s first-round matches are spread over 24-26 August, which organisers say gives an extra 70,000 fans the chance to coo over the crème de la crème.
Spectators can buy tickets for day and night sessions on Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong stadiums, plus entry to the Grandstand Arena’s Sunday session.
The move mirrors the French Open’s gambit in 2006 to start the opening round of men's and women's singles on a Sunday.
“I’m happy I didn’t lose, because otherwise I’d be very angry right now," said the then world number one Roger Federer after taking just over two and a half hours to see off the Argentine journeyman Diego Hartfield in straight sets.
"I requested not to play Sunday, so I wasn’t happy to play," added the then world number one. "But I’m through. I can go home to Switzerland, come back in four days and be ready for Wednesday [second round]," added the Swiss tartly.
Federer as a loose canon freaked the marketing teams in Paris and he never played again on a Sunday during his pomp.
Sinner and Sabalenka defend titles
World number ones Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka return as defending champions.
For Sinner, the focus will be on a Sunday finish – the final on 7 September.
He starts against Czech player Vit Kopriva. The 24-year-old Italian is aiming for his fifth Grand Slam trophy. He retired with illness against Alcaraz in Cincinnati on 19 August and withdrew from mixed doubles to recover.
Alcaraz, who mastered Sinner in an epic French Open final in June, is the expected adversary on 7 September despite the likes of the 2021 champion Daniil Medvedev or the fourth seed Taylor Fritz in his side of the draw.
Dubbed "the New Two" by the former world number one Jim Courier just before their French Open showdown, Alcaraz and Sinner have shown such dominance over the field that it will be a surprise if they do not contest a third consecutive final at a Grand Slam tournament.
Sabalenka consistency on show
Though she has not won a major title this season, Sabalenka, who opens against Switzerland's Rebeka Masarova, remains the supreme being on the WTA circuit.
The 27-year-old Belarusian boasts a 3,000 point lead over world number two Swiatek in the singles rankings.
As well as titles in Brisbane, Miami and Madrid, she contested the finals of the Australian Open in January and the French Open in June as well as the semis at Wimbledon in July.
"In my opinion she has been the best player in the world this year and is yet to win a major [this year]," said the former world number one Andy Roddick on his Served podcast.
"She has lost some heartbreakers but overall I always want to write her into very deep in the draw.
"If you have won as many matches as she has this year and people are disappointed, that means you are really good at your job and you have reset expectations to a level where it is Grand Slam or bust.
"That is a compliment to her – that we expect her to win a major every year. She is in that category."
While Sabalenka has displayed consistency, Swiatek, who reigned as world number one for nearly a year before Sabalenka dislodged her in October 2024, comes into the singles tournament on a roll.
The 24-year-old won Wimbledon in July after more than a year without a title.
She overpowered Jasmine Paolini in the Cincinnati Open final before linking up with Ruud for the mixed doubles. Swiatek starts her tilt for a second US Open crown against Colombia's Emiliana Arango,
"How awesome is tennis," said journalist and author Jon Wertheim on Served. "Swiatek is having a rough go of it ... she doesn't defend her French Open title [in June].
"Everyone's asking: 'What's going on with Iga?' She drops to number eight in the world but she wins Wimbledon, wins in Cincinnati, comes and plays in the mixed doubles in New York and gets to the final in that.
"Everything's looking towards Iga."
