US Open Draw Sets Alcaraz Title Defense and Venus-Kenin First Round/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will face Roman Safiullin in his first singles match since suffering a right wrist injury in April. Venus Williams, playing with a wild card at age 46, was drawn against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin. Top seeds Alexander Zverev and Aryna Sabalenka lead fields featuring several compelling first-round matches and potential blockbuster quarterfinals.
Quick Look
- U.S. Open main-draw competition begins Sunday.
- When. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz opens against Roman Safiullin.
- Alcaraz has not played a singles match since April.
- Safiullin defeated Alcaraz at the 2023 Paris Masters.
- Venus Williams, 46, faces Sofia Kenin in the first round.
- Serena Williams chose to play only mixed doubles.
- Jessica Pegula could face Williams or Kenin in Round 2.
- Men’s No. 1 seed Alexander Zverev opens against Lorenzo Sonego.
- Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a knee injury.
- Aryna Sabalenka begins her bid for a third consecutive title against Camila Osorio.
- Coco Gauff could face Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals.
- Novak Djokovic could meet Daniil Medvedev in the quarterfinals.
- Cincinnati champion Arthur Fils opens against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
- Stan Wawrinka begins his final Grand Slam against Matteo Berrettini.
Deep Look
Alcaraz Begins Title Defense Against Safiullin
Carlos Alcaraz will open his U.S. Open title defense against Roman Safiullin in a potentially difficult return to Grand Slam singles competition.
Alcaraz, the No. 2 seed, has not played a singles match since April. The two-time U.S. Open champion missed the French Open and Wimbledon because of a right wrist injury.
The Spaniard returned to competition in New York alongside Serena Williams in the mixed doubles tournament but appeared rusty.
Safiullin could provide an immediate test after reaching the fourth round at Wimbledon. He defeated Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca before losing to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.
The two players have split their previous meetings. Safiullin upset Alcaraz, then ranked No. 2, at the 2023 Paris Masters. Alcaraz won their rematch at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Venus Williams Draws Sofia Kenin
Venus Williams will face fellow American Sofia Kenin in one of the most notable women’s first-round matches.
Williams received a wild card into the tournament at age 46. The U.S. Tennis Association initially kept another wild-card place available that likely would have gone to Serena Williams if she had chosen to enter the singles competition.
Serena, 44, returned to tennis for the first time since 2022 but decided to compete only in mixed doubles.
The USTA subsequently awarded its remaining wild card to Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion. Thursday’s draw then randomly placed Kenin against Venus.
Had Serena accepted a singles wild card, the draw could have produced a first-round match between the Williams sisters.
Pegula Could Face Williams or Kenin
No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula will begin her tournament against Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
The winner of the match between Venus Williams and Kenin will advance to face the Pegula-Ruse winner in the second round.
Pegula’s projected path could eventually lead to a quarterfinal against No. 7 seed Karolina Muchova.
Zverev Takes No. 1 Seed After Sinner Withdrawal
French Open champion Alexander Zverev became the men’s No. 1 seed after Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury.
Zverev will open against Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego.
The projected men’s quarterfinals are:
Djokovic will pursue a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title and could encounter another former U.S. Open champion, Medvedev, in the last eight.
Sabalenka Pursues Third Consecutive Championship
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka will begin her bid for a third straight women’s U.S. Open title against Camila Osorio.
Sabalenka has struggled during the North American hard-court season but remains the women’s No. 1 seed.
Her projected quarterfinal opponent is Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the No. 6 seed.
Gauff Could Meet French Open Champion Andreeva
No. 4 seed Coco Gauff could face No. 5 Mirra Andreeva in the quarterfinals. Andreeva enters the tournament as the reigning French Open champion.
The other projected women’s quarterfinals are:
The potential Rybakina-Swiatek match would bring together two former Wimbledon champions.
Fils Faces Tsitsipas in Marquee Opener
Arthur Fils will face Stefanos Tsitsipas in one of the strongest men’s opening-round matchups.
The 10th-seeded Fils arrives in New York after winning the Cincinnati Open for his first Masters 1000 title.
Tsitsipas is a two-time Grand Slam finalist and former world No. 3, making him an unusually accomplished first-round opponent for a seeded player.
Wawrinka and Berrettini Meet Again
Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 U.S. Open championreceived a wild card for his final Grand Slam tournament before retiring.
He will open against 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini for a second consecutive major.
Berrettini defeated Wawrinka in four sets at Wimbledon, with each set decided by a tiebreaker.
Rublev Draws Former Champion Cilic
No. 23 seed Andrey Rublev will face 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in another first-round contest between prominent players.
No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti, who reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals last year, will begin against Britain’s Arthur Fery.
Fery reached the Wimbledon semifinals before losing to Zverev.
Qualifiers Await Final Placements
Several opening-round matchups remained incomplete while the qualifying tournaments continued Thursday.
Among the seeded women waiting to learn their opponents were No. 11 Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 Alex Eala.
The U.S. Open is the final Grand Slam tournament of the season, with main-draw singles competition beginning Sunday in New York.
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