The 146th US Open is set to bring two weeks of exciting matchups to New York City. Held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the 2026 edition features a record prize pool, a packed schedule starting with the mixed doubles event, and plenty of major storylines, including the comeback of Carlos Alcaraz after a four-month-long absence. Here is your complete guide to the 2026 US Open.
2026 US Open Tournament Format, Key Dates, and the Draw Ceremony
The 22-day tournament began with Fan Week on August 23, followed by qualifying and the revamped Mixed Doubles event on August 24. The singles main draw starts on August 30, with the women’s singles final on September 12 and the men’s singles final on September 13.
Both men’s and women’s singles feature 128-player draws. Men’s matches will be best-of-five sets, while women’s matches will be best-of-three.
The singles draws will be decided on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET. It can be live-streamed on the official US Open website or in the ESPN app.
Top Seeds
Men’s Singles
Alexander Zverev leads the men’s field as the No. 1 seed after winning the French Open earlier this year. 2025 champion Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed and will look to make a strong return after his long layoff, following a right wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April. Félix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic round out the top four, with the Serb chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will miss the tournament due to a right knee injury.
Top 10 men’s seeds:
- Alexander Zverev
- Carlos Alcaraz
- Felix Auger-Aliassime
- Novak Djokovic
- Flavio Cobolli
- Alex De Minaur
- Daniil Medvedev
- Ben Shelton
- Taylor Fritz
- Arthur Fils
- Frances Tiafoe
- Rafael Jódar
- Lorenzo Musetti
- Learner Tien
- Alexander Bublik
- Brandon Nakashima
Women’s Singles
World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, who is also the back-to-back defending champion, leads the women’s draw as the top seed and will look to add another US Open title to her collection. 2026 Australian Open winner Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and the newly crowned Cincinnati champion Coco Gauff will also be among the players to watch, while the Canadian Open winner Iga Świątek and last year’s runner-up Amanda Anisimova add further strength to the field.
Top 10 women’s seeds:
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Elena Rybakina
- Jessica Pegula
- Coco Gauff
- Mirra Andreeva
- Linda Noskova
- Karolina Muchova
- Iga Świątek
- Elina Svitolina
- Amanda Anisimova
- Marta Kostyuk
- Belinda Bencic
- Naomi Osaka
- Iva Jovic
- Diana Shnaider
- Sorana Cirstea
Record-Breaking Prize Money
This year, the USTA is offering a record $108 million in total player compensation, a 21% increase from the 2025 US Open. The singles players will win a paycheck as follows:
- Winner: $5,500,000
- Runner-Up: $2,800,000
- Semifinalists: $1,450,000
- Quarterfinalists: $780,000
- Round of 16: $480,000
- Round of 32: $290,000
- Round of 64: $190,000
- Round of 128: $190,000
- Qualifying – Round of 32: $66,000
- Qualifying – Round of 64: $48,000
- Qualifying – Round of 128: $32,000
Even those who exit in the first round of the singles main draw are guaranteed $140,000.
How to Watch the 2026 US Open
Fans around the world can follow the tournament through various broadcasters and streaming platforms. In the United States, coverage will be available on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and ESPN+, while Sky Sports will broadcast the tournament in the UK and Ireland. Fans in Canada can watch on TSN and RDS, those in Australia can follow the action on Channel 9 and Stan Sport, and Eurosport will provide coverage across continental Europe.
