Alcaraz Faces Safiullin as Zverev Takes No. 1 Seed for US Open Defense

Carlos Alcaraz begins his US Open title defense against Roman Safiullin, who previously defeated the Spaniard at the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Paris.

Carlos Alcaraz enters the US Open as the No. 2 seed, opening his title defense against Roman Safiullin. This match marks the Spaniard’s first singles appearance since April, following a right wrist injury that sidelined him during the French Open and Wimbledon. Safiullin previously upset Alcaraz in their 2023 ATP Masters 1000 meeting in Paris, though Alcaraz secured a victory in their only other encounter at the Paris Olympics the following year. Safiullin arrives in New York following a Wimbledon run where he reached the fourth round by defeating Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca before a four-set loss to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic.

Alexander Zverev ascends to the No. 1 seed in the men's draw following the withdrawal of Jannik Sinner due to a knee injury. The reigning French Open champion starts his tournament against Italian Lorenzo Sonego. In the bottom half of the draw, No. 4 seed Novak Djokovic is projected for a quarterfinal clash against No. 7 Daniil Medvedev. Other potential men's quarterfinals include Zverev versus No. 6 Alex de Minaur, Alcaraz against No. 8 Ben Shelton, and No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime facing No. 5 Flavio Cobolli.

Williams Sisters Showdown Averted in New York

The USTA awarded the final women's singles wild card to 2020 Australian Open winner Sofia Kenin after 44-year-old Serena Williams declined to play singles, opting for a doubles-only return. This decision prevented a potential first-round meeting between the siblings after 46-year-old Venus Williams received a wild card. Instead, the random draw placed Venus Williams against Kenin in the opening round. The winner of that match is scheduled to face No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula in the second round, provided Pegula defeats Elena-Gabriela Ruse.

Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion and current top-ranked player in the draw, begins her campaign against Camila Osorio. Sabalenka is projected to meet No. 6 seed and Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova in the quarterfinals. The remaining potential women's quarterfinal matchups feature No. 2 Elena Rybakina against No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 4 Coco Gauff versus No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, and Pegula against No. 7 Karolina Muchova.

Veteran Matchups and Seeded Challenges

Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 US Open champion, will play his final Grand Slam tournament against Matteo Berrettini. Their previous meeting at the All England Club resulted in a four-set victory for Berrettini, with every set decided by a tiebreaker. No. 10 seed Arthur Fils, the recent Cincinnati Open champion, faces former world No. 3 Stefanos Tsitsipas. Additionally, No. 23 seed Andrey Rublev opens against 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic.

No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti, a quarterfinalist in New York last year, starts against Britain's Arthur Fery. Fery enters the main draw after reaching the Wimbledon semifinals, where he lost to Zverev. Main draw play at the final Grand Slam of the season is set to begin Sunday, while several contenders, including No. 11 Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 Alex Eala, await the conclusion of qualifying rounds to determine their first-round opponents.