The most open US Open in recent times seeks a champion in the return of Alcaraz
The day arrived. The US Open 2026 raises the curtain this Sunday in New York and, this time, it does so without a clear favorite. If last year everyone was clear that the title was a matter of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinnerwho competed in the grand final, this year the absence of the Italian and the doubts about the physical condition of the Spaniard, who returns to the circuit after more than four months out due to injury, mean that everything is very open.
Without a doubt, the Spanish player is the one who focuses all eyes. The current champion is looking for what would be his second Grand Slam of the year in his most difficult season, although he knows that it will not be easy to show his full potential after so much time away from the courts. “Let’s see Carlitos the way he has always played. But for me the most important thing is to leave this tournament healthy“, he noted in his appearance before the media.
Alcaraz will debut on Monday (around 7:30 p.m. Spanish time) against the Russian Roman Safiulina tough nut to crack that was already able to surprise him in the Paris tournament in 2023. Jaime Faria, Matteo Arnaldi, Tommy Paul, Arthur Fils or Ben Shelton would be his theoretical rivals on his way to the semifinals against Novak Djokovic, another name that always appears in all the pools when a Grand Slam begins.
The Serbian arrives with fewer expectations than other years due to a physique that increasingly makes him more vulnerable to the push of young players. On his way to the long-awaited 25th Grand Slam, Nole will have a road full of obstacles that will begin today against the Argentine Mariano Navonea player with a profile similar to that of Thiago Tirante, his executioner in Cincinnati.
Precisely the winner of the last Masters 1,000 played, Arthur Fils, is another of the men called to give a lot of talk in New York. The Frenchman is having a sensational season and already has the confidence in himself to play face to face with any rival.
Something similar happens with Rada Jódar, who faces the tournament as a validation after recent months in which she has been consolidating in the elite of world tennis. The Madrid native will debut against Thanasi Kokkinakis and would find an affordable path to a hypothetical round of 16 against Alex de Miñaur and a quarterfinal against another of the great candidates for the title, Alexander Zverev.
The German arrives in New York with some doubts after his recent setbacks in the Masters 1,000 in Montreal and Cincinnati, although His great performances at Roland Garros and Wimbledon make him a fearsome rival.
In addition to Alcaraz and Jódar, the Spanish representation will be carried out by Pablo Carreño, Jaume Munar, Dani Mérida and Martín Landalucewhich debut this Sunday, and Carlos Taberner.
If the men’s tournament is more open than usual, the same happens with the women’s team. The current champion, Aryna Sabalenkaarrives with many doubts after his last defeats and even may lose his number 1 status at the hands of Elena Rybakina if he fails to revalidate the title.
Spanish tennis, for its part, will have in New York Cristina Bucsa, Jessica Bouzas, Kaitlin Quevedo, Oksana Selekhmeteva and Paula Badosawho returns after a small surgical intervention.
