Carlos Alcaraz will open his US Open singles title defense against Roman Safiullin, a player who made a strong run at Wimbledon this summer while Alcaraz was sidelined with the wrist injury that kept the Spaniard out of that tournament and the French Open.
The draw for the final Grand Slam of the season, released Thursday, also delivered one of the more notable what-if moments of the week. Had Serena Williams entered the singles draw, there could have been a first-round Williams sisters matchup. When Venus Williams was given a wild card into the event, the USTA held one spot in anticipation of Serena. Once Serena decided to play only doubles, the USTA awarded that final wild card to Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion. The draw then placed Venus and Kenin against each other in the first round.
Main draw play begins Sunday.
Alcaraz and Safiullin
Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed and a two-time US Open champion. He has not played a singles match since April, and his appearance in the mixed doubles tournament alongside Serena Williams showed some rust after the extended absence from competitive play. Safiullin is a capable opponent for a first match back. He reached the fourth round at Wimbledon this summer, defeating Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca before losing to Novak Djokovic in four sets. He also upset Alcaraz in the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris in 2023 before Alcaraz returned the favor at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The men’s draw
Alexander Zverev, the French Open champion who became the No. 1 seed after Jannik Sinner withdrew with a knee injury, opens against Lorenzo Sonego. The projected quarterfinals pit Zverev against Alex de Minaur, Alcaraz against Ben Shelton, Felix Auger-Aliassime against Flavio Cobolli and Djokovic against Daniil Medvedev.
Cincinnati champion Arthur Fils, the No. 10 seed, faces Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round. Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 champion playing in his final Grand Slam before retiring, faces Matteo Berrettini, the 2021 Wimbledon finalist who won their Wimbledon first-round match in four tiebreaker sets. Rublev, the No. 23 seed, faces 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic.
The women’s draw
Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is the top seed and opens against Camila Osorio. She could face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, seeded sixth, in the quarterfinals. The other projected quarterfinal matchups pit No. 2 Elena Rybakina against No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Jessica Pegula against No. 7 Karolina Muchova, and No. 4 Coco Gauff against No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, the French Open champion.
Pegula opens against Elena-Gabriela Ruse and would face the Williams-Kenin winner in the second round.
Other notable first-round assignments
Alex Eala, seeded 17th, was among those waiting for her first-round opponent to be determined by the conclusion of qualifying. Marta Kostyuk, the No. 11 seed, was similarly waiting. Lorenzo Musetti, who reached the quarterfinals in New York last year, opens against Arthur Fery, who lost to Zverev in the Wimbledon semifinals.
Venus Williams, at 46, is making her US Open appearance on a wild card. The draw placing her against Kenin in the first round creates a compelling opening-week storyline in the women’s singles.
