Carlos Alcaraz faces Roman Safiullin in US Open return as Jannik Sinner withdraws
Carlos Alcaraz will begin his title defense in Flushing Meadows against Roman Safiullin following a four-month wrist injury layoff, competing in a 108 million dollar tournament without injured world number 1 Jannik Sinner.
Alcaraz returns after wrist injury
Carlos Alcaraz will return to singles competition at the US Open after four months of recovery from a right wrist injury sustained on 14 April at the Conde de Godo tournament. The Spanish player, currently world number 3 and seeded second in New York, missed Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and four Masters 1000 events during his layoff. Alcaraz competed in mixed doubles with Serena Williams during fan week, where the pair lost in the second round. His title defense will begin against world number 98 Roman Safiullin, who previously defeated Alcaraz at the 2023 Paris-Bercy Masters before losing to him at the Paris Olympic Games.
Men's singles draw and potential matchups
The bottom half of the draw sets Alcaraz on a collision course with Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, provided both progress through their respective sections. If Alcaraz advances past Safiullin, he will meet either Jaime Faria or Jenson Brooksby in the second round, followed by a potential third-round meeting with Matteo Arnaldi. Later rounds present prospective matchups against Tommy Paul or Alexander Bublik in the round of 16, and Montreal champion Ben Shelton or Cincinnati winner Arthur Fils in the quarter-finals. Djokovic begins his campaign against Mariano Navone and could face Daniil Medvedev in the quarter-finals as he pursues a 25th Grand Slam singles title.
- Opens against Roman Safiullin
- Winner of Jaime Faria versus Jenson Brooksby
- Potential meeting with Matteo Arnaldi
- Potential clash against Tommy Paul or Alexander Bublik
- Potential match against Ben Shelton or Arthur Fils
- Potential meeting with Novak Djokovic or Daniil Medvedev
- Potential championship match against Alexander Zverev
Sinner withdrawal opens top half for Zverev
World number 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the tournament because of an ongoing right knee injury, leaving top seed Alexander Zverev to lead the upper half of the bracket. Zverev, who won Roland Garros and reached the Wimbledon final earlier this year, will open his campaign against Italy's Lorenzo Sonego. The top half also features Alex de Minaur, Casper Ruud, and Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. With Sinner absent from competition, Alcaraz and Zverev cannot meet before the championship match scheduled for 13 September.
- Alexander Zverev
- 2 Rank
- Carlos Alcaraz
- 3 Rank
- Alex de Minaur
- 7 Rank
- Daniil Medvedev
- 8 Rank
- Ben Shelton
- 9 Rank
- Arthur Fils
- 11 Rank
- Rafael Jodar
- 13 Rank
- Casper Ruud
- 20 Rank
- Tommy Paul
- 21 Rank
- Matteo Arnaldi
- 34 Rank
- Roman Safiullin
- 98 Rank
- Thanasi Kokkinakis
- 412 Rank
Jodar leads Spanish contingent in New York
Nineteen-year-old Rafael Jodar, the 2024 US Open junior champion, will enter the main draw seeded 12th after climbing to world number 13 this summer. Jodar reached the final in Washington, the semi-finals in Montreal, and the round of 16 in Cincinnati ahead of his main-draw Grand Slam debut. The Madrid native will face Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis, ranked 412th, in the opening round, with potential subsequent clashes against Casper Ruud in the third round and Alex de Minaur in the round of 16. The tournament, featuring a total prize purse of 108 million dollars, begins main-draw play on 30 August at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.
