The main draw ceremony for the 2026 US Open took place on Thursday, August 27. With Jannik Sinner out through injury, the men’s field opens up in ways it has not in years. Here is a breakdown of the matches that matter most heading into Sunday.

The Full Picture

Alexander Zverev enters as the top seed after his French Open title earlier this year. Carlos Alcaraz sits at number two, playing his first tournament since a wrist injury sidelined him for four months. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Novak Djokovic, Flavio Cobolli, Alex de Minaur, Daniil Medvedev, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and Rafael Jodar round out the top ten seeds.

Seven First Round Matches Worth Watching

Exact court and time assignments come out one to two days before play begins, so those details are not listed yet. That is normal for this stage of the tournament.

Match by Match: Who Is the Favorite

Alcaraz vs Safiullin

These two are tied 1-1 in their head to head. Safiullin beat Alcaraz at the 2023 Paris Masters, also during a stretch when Alcaraz was working his way back from injury. Alcaraz answered with a win at the 2024 Olympics. Safiullin has three career wins over top ten players, including one over Alcaraz himself, so this is not a routine opener. Still, Alcaraz gets the edge given his ceiling and the fact that a full off season rebuild usually favors the more talented player once he finds his feet. Analysts have already flagged his section as one of the toughest in the draw, with Tommy Paul or Alexander Bublik projected in round four and Ben Shelton possible in the quarterfinal.

Djokovic vs Navone

Djokovic collapsed physically during his Cincinnati Open loss to Thiago Tirante two weeks ago, needing medical attention for what he later described as a longstanding health issue that flares up in heat and humidity. New York in early September carries the same risk. Navone will need to push him deep into a first set to find out if that issue resurfaces. On pure level, Djokovic remains the favorite. He is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title and has the experience to manage a lesser opponent even below his best. But this is the first match where his physical readiness gets a real answer.

Zverev vs Sonego

Zverev holds a dominant head to head lead over Sonego, having never lost to him across five previous meetings. That history, combined with the top seeding, makes Zverev the clear favorite here. The bigger question for Zverev is not this match but whether he can carry his French Open form onto a hard court after an erratic North American swing.

Fils vs Tsitsipas

This is a match between two very different trajectories. Fils arrives in the top ten and as one of the form players of the season. Tsitsipas was ranked as high as world number three five years ago and reached two Grand Slam finals. Since then he has dropped outside the top eighty, split permanently from his father as coach just before Wimbledon, and failed to get past the second round in his last eight major appearances. Fils is the heavy favorite on paper and by current level, but Tsitsipas at his best on a big stage has always been dangerous, and a Grand Slam first round carries different pressure than a regular tour stop.

Jodar vs Kokkinakis

Jodar is 19 years old and a year ago was outside the top 700 in the world. He has since won an ATP title, reached the round of 16 at two Masters 1000 events, beaten Alex de Minaur, and climbed to a career high of number 22. He also won the US Open boys title in 2024 on these same courts, and now enters his first Grand Slam as a seeded player. Kokkinakis is a veteran with a long injury history but real pedigree, including a Grand Slam doubles title. Jodar enters as the favorite given his current form and ranking, but Kokkinakis has the experience to make a teenager work for every point in this kind of moment.

Wawrinka vs Berrettini

Wawrinka was left off the initial US Open wild card list, a decision that drew heavy criticism given his three major titles and his 2016 US Open trophy. He accepted the tournament’s apology in public grace, thanking New York for the memories. Then Patrick Kypson withdrew with injury days later, and Wawrinka got his wild card after all, in what is expected to be his final Grand Slam before retirement. He now draws Berrettini in a direct rematch of their Wimbledon first round this year, a four set battle that went to tiebreaks in every set, with Berrettini coming out on top. Berrettini is the favorite given that recent result and his higher ranking, but Wawrinka has a winning career record at this event and nothing to lose in what may be his last match on this court.

Fritz vs Blanch

Fritz already knows what it feels like to reach a US Open final. Blanch is an 18 year old American ranked outside the top 200, playing on a wild card earned through his USTA junior title. This is Blanch’s second career US Open appearance. Fritz is the clear favorite by ranking and experience, but a home crowd behind a teenage wild card always adds an edge to these matches, and Blanch has already shown he is not afraid of the moment, having drawn Rafael Nadal in a past Madrid wild card appearance.

Active Grand Slam Champions in the Field

For context on the depth of this draw, here is how many major titles the active champions in the men’s field carry into New York:

• Novak Djokovic: 24
• Carlos Alcaraz: 6
• Stan Wawrinka: 3
• Daniil Medvedev: 1 (2021 US Open)
• Alexander Zverev: 1 (2026 French Open)