The 2026 U.S. Open begins Sunday in New York City, and the first question is simple: whether Carlos Alcaraz can defend his title after four months away with a right wrist injury. The men’s draw starts with a champion trying to hold on and a field that suddenly looks more open.
That is why the Us Open Schedule Today search matters. Alcaraz, the defending champion, is back after missing four months of action, while Jannik Sinner is out with a right knee injury. That leaves Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and a clutch of top American talent with a clearer path to the late rounds, and it gives the opening days in New York immediate weight before the tournament even settles into its rhythm.
The women’s side is just as unsettled, even if the names at the top are familiar. Aryna Sabalenka is world No. 1, but she has not made a semifinal since late March and has spent months below her usual standard. Every player in the women’s top 10 already owns either a Grand Slam title or a WTA 1000 title, which makes the field deep rather than crowded and leaves little room for a soft draw once play starts at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Elena Rybakina is the complication that could change the ranking math entirely. Her left Achilles will help decide whether she can play at all, yet she is still in position to chase Sabalenka, Coco Gauff and Jessica Pegula for the top spot. A semifinal run by Rybakina would make the results of the others irrelevant to her ranking battle, which is as stark a reminder as any that this is not a tournament built around one dominant favorite.
The preview around the tournament points to 30 players to watch, split evenly between 15 men and 15 women, and that balance fits the moment. New York is getting a defending men’s champion returning from injury, a top rival already sidelined, and a women’s draw where the No. 1 player is vulnerable enough to keep the title race open from the first ball. The tournament begins Sunday, but the stakes are already clear: whoever survives the first week will likely have earned the hard way.
