US Open 2026 Draw: Seeds, Wild Cards and Matchups to Watch

The US Open is the 4th and final Grand Slam on the tennis calendar. This page is dedicated to the US Open draw from the ceremony through to the finals. The 2026 edition of the tournament runs from 30 August to 13 September. As always, it’s hosted by the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York. Games are played on outdoor hard courts. It’s where the women’s and men’s crème de la crème meet to try and finish the year strong. Doubles, mixed doubles, wheelchair and junior events run alongside, as well.

Below is a breakdown of confirmed dates, an explanation of seeding and brackets, projected top seed and matchups worth watching. Our team will update this page as the draw lands in case of any late changes. What’s more, US Open betting will be available at 7bet for the entire tournament for UK players who are 18+.

US Open Draw

For this year, qualifying runs from Monday, 24 August to Thursday, 27 August. This is used to determine the final pool of 128 individual qualifying entrants for both the men’s and women’s singles. The main draw ceremony is scheduled for Thursday, 27 August, the same day that qualifying concludes. Draw results are based on WTA and ATP seeding published on 24 August. The main draw US Open play will begin on 30 August.

Please use the table below to find key dates from the US Open draw, qualifiers and main stages.

Men’s Singles Field for US Open 2026 and Changes to the Draw

Slightly unexpected was the wave of late withdrawals that hit the men’s pool. Most significant of all is, of course, world No. 1 and the winner of the last Grand Slam – Jannik Sinner, who decided not to participate due to a right knee injury. 

British No. 1 Jack Draper is also out due to injury. Other notable withdrawals include:

• Alejandro Davidovich Fokina
• Holger Rune
• Sebastian Korda
• Joao Fonseca
• Emilio Nava

Luckily, their places have been filled by eligible and competitive entrants. Among them: Alexander Popyrin, Benjamin Bonzi, Aleksandar Vukic, with a lucky loser taking Fonseca’s place after qualifying. 

What Absences Mean for the US Open 2026 Men’s Singles Field?

Sinner’s absence is seismic and reshapes the top echelon of the draw. In the current ATP rankings, Alexander Zverev was 2nd, followed by returning champ Carlos Alcaraz, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Novak Djokovic rounding out the shortlist. Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz will look to make some noise as home crowd favourites.

With the #1-ranked player out, Zverev should be the 1st seed, although there’s still that man by the name of Carlos Alcaraz. His status and resume, while the Spaniard seeks to become the first man to win back-to-back US Opens since Roger Federer, make him the name most eyes will be on. Still, he’s coming off of a long injury period, and fitness is in question.

Women’s Singles Field for US Open 2026 and Changes to the Draw

While not as significant, the women’s US Open 2026 draw has seen its fair share of withdrawals. Britain’s Emma Raducanu, Victoria Mboko, Hailey Baptiste, Varvara Gracheva, Laura Siegemund and a handful of other capable females will miss the last Slam of 2026. Raducanu’s withdrawal is a particular blow to British interest, given her history at the event and status within domestic tennis ranks.

Leading Candidates in the Women’s Field

At the top of the draw, it’s pretty much what fans have been accustomed to over the past couple of years. Aryna Sabalenka is at the top – reigning World No. 1 and defending champ to boot. Still, Sabalenka has been shaky for the latter part of 2026, so strong challengers like Elena Rybakina, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva will look to capitalise. 

It’s also worth noting that Sabalenka agreed to participate in mixed doubles alongside Novak Djokovic. Albeit they lost in the Round of 16, it was just one more from a list of many reasons to follow her across the fortnight.

US Open 2026 Draw Ceremony

Both the men’s and women’s draws are conducted the same way. The top 32 players from the 128-player pool get a seed. These seeds are fixed so that No. 1 and No. 2 can only meet in the Final, the top 4 can only meet in the Semi-Finals onward, and so on. In fact, seeded players can’t meet another seed before the 3rd round in the 2026 US Open.

If you were to look at the US Open draw before the ceremony, you’ll see placeholder labels “Q”. These spots are reserved for athletes coming in through qualifying, with the actual names being filled only after the draw is finished.

Seeded Players

Seeding for the 2026 US Open is based on the latest ATP and WTA Rankings, published on Monday 24 August 2026. However, it’s only made official at Thursday’s draw ceremony. Below is a projection of the top seeds. Treat this as a preliminary ranking, as it’s not the confirmed seeding order.

Projected ATP Seeds for the 2026 US Open (Men’s)

Projected WTA Seeds for the 2026 US Open (Women’s)

Qualifiers, Wild Cards & Lucky Losers

Interestingly enough, not every place in the bracket is filled by ranking. Four routes feed the players into the main draw. Each route behaves differently once the 2026 US Open draw is made. Top-seeded players are invited automatically, but Qualifiers, Wild Cards and Lucky Losers deserve an extra look.

Qualifiers

The pre-tournament qualifying will determine 16 contestants in each draw (32 total across men’s and women’s singles). Qualifying runs between 24 and 27 August. Qualifiers occupy designated “Q” slots on the bracket, so you can see where they’ll land on the draw sheet before knowing who fills them.

Wild Cards

These invitations are awarded at USTA’s discretion. Wild Cards are usually reserved for local players, returning names, big stars or players whose ranking may not reflect their level. On the men’s side, Gael Monfils, NCAA’s champ Michael Zheng, J.J. Wolf (US Open Wild Card Challenge Winner) and Sebastian Gorzny highlight the pack.

On the women’s side, we’ll see a 7-time Grand Slam and 2-time US Open women’s champ Venus Williams. At 46, she still wants to prove that gas is still in the tank. Furthermore, 207 US Open champ Sloane Stephens, 2020 Australian Open Champ Sofia Kenin, and Carol Young Suh Lee round out the most notable allocations. 

Lucky Losers

If any player withdraws after the draw has been made, their spot isn’t left empty. It’s awarded to the player who qualifies as the Lucky Loser – the highest-ranked player who lost in the final round of qualifying. 

Potential Matchups and Things to Watch

The bracket isn’t out at the time of writing, so nothing below covers confirmed pairings. However, some storylines are already emerging and implying some interesting narratives once the US Open draw lands. 

Men’s Side

• Very Open Top of the Draw – with Sinner and a few top players out, Alcaraz’s bid to defend the title and become the first back-to-back champ since Roger Federer looks like the standout storyline. However, he missed significant time due to a serious wrist injury, and his sharpness may take time to return. Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Felix Auger-Aliassime look like the clearest threats to the Spaniard.
• The Wide American Contingent – Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien and Frances Tiafoe will give the home crowd plenty of scores to follow. Since the draw feels more open, a few or all of them could realistically make deep runs into the second week.
• Replacement Storylines – watch how the late replacements are seeded. A lucky draw could shake things up and produce a Cinderella run.

Women’s Side

• A Clear Favourite – despite not winning a slam this year, Aryna Sabalenka is the defending champion and still the World’s No. 1. She will arrive as the player to beat, although there’s a lot of ground to cover for the “Tigress” if she wants to re-establish her dominant ways.
• A Genuinely Open Chasing Pack – aforementioned contenders – Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff and Andreeva are all serious threats. In a season that already has 3 different Slam winners, a 4th one wouldn’t be a big surprise.
• Diminished Interest in Britain – with Raducanu out, hopes of British fans lie in total dark horses like Katie Boulter. 

Tournament Information | US Open 2026

The US Open has been a staple fixture on the tennis calendar since it moved to Flushing Meadows, the current venue, in 1978. It’s the longest-running major hard-court event in the States. Here’s the key information you should know about the US Open:

The weight of the tournament is so immense, not just because it’s a Grand Slam. It’s also the last major of the year, so it can decide huge narratives, shape year-end rankings, and settle records. The New York courts have produced some of the best tennis over the years, and fans and bettors hope 2026 won’t be an exception.

Follow the Tournament at 7bet 

Once the brackets are confirmed on Thursday 27 August, you can head to our US Open Schedule and Order of Play page, which carries the daily match schedule. You can also always find outright, pre-match and IN-PLAY odds for the US Open at any time. Remember that you need to be 18+ to participate and do it responsibly by setting limits and wagering only with money that you can afford to lose. 

Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org