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US Open Opens in Uncertainty
The US Open begins Sunday, with the men’s draw reshaped by Jannik Sinner’s confirmed withdrawal due to a knee injury and Carlos Alcaraz returning after missing four months with a right wrist injury.
“Play begins Sunday”
The tournament runs from Aug. 30 to Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York, with the first round of singles starting on Aug. 30 and the men’s championship scheduled for Sept. 13.
Aryna Sabalenka enters as defending champion and current World No. 1, but the BBC frames her mission around defending 2,000 points at Flushing Meadows and extending her 99-week run as world number one.
Sabalenka’s recent form is described as a difficult period after her “Sunshine Double,” and the BBC notes she has a 17-7 win-loss record since the Miami triumph while facing pressure from Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff.
In the women’s draw, the AP says the top spot in the rankings could be in reach for multiple players, while Pegula says, “there’s not one or two super-dominant players where you feel like they have to lose in order for you to have a chance.”
Sabalenka’s Pressure, Players’ Paths
Sabalenka told the BBC, “Absolutely. These tough lessons are definitely going to make me way, way stronger and working even harder,” as she heads into the US Open with a 17-7 record since the Miami triumph.
The BBC also highlights how her mental focus has been questioned in recent months, pointing to her Cincinnati Open fourth-round defeat by 20-year-old Czech opponent Sara Bejlek after leading 5-1 in a first-set tie-break and 4-1 in the second set.
In the AP’s preview, Frances Tiafoe said, “Still got to beat seven guys however way you slice it,” capturing the men’s side of a field the AP describes as “truly open again.”
The AP adds that injuries have given other players opportunities, quoting Alex de Minaur saying, “a lot of uncertainty, some of the top players, they’re kind of injured or they’re not playing.”
For the women’s No. 1 race, the AP says Sabalenka’s summer swoon threatens her place at the top, while the BBC explains Rybakina might not even have to win a match to take over if rivals do not win the title.
What’s at Stake Next
The stakes for Sabalenka are immediate and numerical: the BBC says she must win again to extend her 99-week run as the world number one, with 2,000 points to defend at Flushing Meadows.
“with 2,000 points to defend at Flushing Meadows”
The BBC also lays out how Rybakina can take the No. 1 ranking if Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, and Coco Gauff do not win the title, while Sabalenka retaining the title would still allow Rybakina to rise by reaching the semi-finals.
On the men’s side, the AP describes how Alcaraz gets one more day to prepare after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury, and it notes Sinner’s knee injury has kept him out since his Wimbledon final.
The AP frames the tournament as an opportunity for players such as Zverev and Arthur Fils, with Alex de Minaur saying the uncertainty has meant “a lot of different players stepping up and a lot of different opportunities being up for grabs.”
In the US Open schedule, the New York Post lists the first round starting on Aug. 30 and the tournament ending on Sept. 13, with the men’s championship set for Sept. 13 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York.