US Open draw: Here's who Carlos Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and more will face in Round 1

Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News on Aug 27, 2026

Published in Tennis

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NEW YORK — Carlos Alcaraz won’t exactly be able to ease back into action at the US Open.

In what will be his first singles match in four months, Alcaraz is set to face battle-tested Roman Safiullin in the opening round, as announced in Thursday’s reveal of the main draw.

Safiullin is No. 98 in the world rankings, but he advanced to the Round of 16 at Wimbledon earlier this summer, and he is 1-1 all time against Alcaraz, having upset the superstar at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris in 2023.

Alcaraz, the Open’s defending champion, is set to make his return from a right wrist injury that’s sidelined him since April. The Spanish sensation enters as the favorite, as fellow juggernaut Jannik Sinner is sitting out with a knee injury.

But Alcaraz — the tournament’s No. 2 seed, behind Germany’s Alexander Zverev — will need to shake off any rust and overcome any lingering injury concerns to go on another deep run, especially with a difficult bracket ahead of him.

His path could include facing a pair of top Americans, including No. 20 seed Tommy Paul in the fourth round and No. 8 seed Ben Shelton in the quarterfinal. Paul is 2-6 against Alcaraz, but both wins came on outdoor hardcourts.

Alcaraz could then face 39-year-old Novak Djokovic — a 24-time Grand Slam champion — in the semifinals. That’s the same round Alcaraz met, and defeated, Djokovic in Queens last year.

In a tune-up this week, the 23-year-old Alcaraz overcame a slow start in the Open’s mixed doubles tournament to win a match alongside Serena Williams before they were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

“I double-faulted on the first point, so I was really, really nervous,” Alcaraz said after Tuesday’s victory at Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“I was out for four months … almost five months. I almost forgot how it feels [until] I stepped on the court once again, but it was just a couple of games.”

Alcaraz seeks his third US Open championship and his eighth Grand Slam title overall.

It was a similarly challenging draw for women’s No. 1 seed Aryna Sabalenka, the back-to-back defending champion.

Assuming she gets through the first few rounds — including against Colombia’s Camila Osorio in the opener — Sabalenka could face No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk or Wimbledon winner Linda Nosková in the quarterfinals.

No. 3 seed Jessica Pegula might then wait in the semifinals. The Belarusian-born Sabalenka is 9-4 against the American, including defeating her in the Open final in 2024.

Other first-round matchups of intrigue include the top-seeded Zverev facing Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego; No. 9 seed Taylor Fritz drawing fellow American Darwin Blanch; and No. 11 seed Frances Tiafoe squaring off with U.S. countryman Martin Damm.

Shelton is set to face Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands, who just upset Zverev in Montreal.

On the women’s side, Pegula is set to open against Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania, while No. 4 seed Coco Gauff gets Zeynep Sonmez of Turkey.

And in an interesting note, 46-year-old Venus Williams was randomly drawn to face countrywoman Sofia Kenin, who received the final wild-card entry.

Had that last wild-card spot gone to 44-year-old Serena Williams, as some expected, the Williams sisters might have faced each other in the opening round.

Serena returned to professional tennis in June after nearly four years away. She isn’t participating in the Open singles tournament, but she and her sister will compete together in doubles at Flushing Meadows.