The US Open is left without one of its five champions
The trickle of casualties continues at the US Open 2026 even with the tournament already started. It was a continuous drain of talent before its start, when figures such as the world number 1, the Italian, announced their exclusion from the last Grand Slam. Jannik Sinner, and promising young people with physical problems such as Holger Rune, Jack Draper and Joao Fonseca.
The ‘lucky losers’, losers of the last round of the qualifying phase, are very attentive to whether they can be caught. The French Arthur Gea and the finnish Otto Virtanen They were two of those who already found accommodation in a quarter that continues to lose heavyweights who did appear in the competition when it was drawn.
This Sunday, shortly after the Norwegian’s announcement Casper Ruuda 2022 finalist, withdrew due to a back injury, also due to physical problems, the Croatian Marin Cilic37 years old and world number 81. In its day, No. 3 within the golden era of the ‘Big 3’.
Cilic lived his best individual moment, in addition to leading Croatia to win the Davis Cup, precisely at the US Open. He was champion of the 2014 tournament, very popular because in the final he beat the Japanese Kei Nishikori. Both had left the Swiss out in the semis Roger Federer the European, and the Serbian Novak Djokovicthe Asian.
Once Marin Cilic is deleted, the number of champions in the four is reduced from five to four. Are Carlos Alcarazwho defends crown, the second on his account after that of 2022, the Serbian Novak Djokovic four-time champion (2011, 2015, 2018 and 2023), the Swiss Stan Wawrinka (2016), who says goodbye to the tournament, and the Russian Daniil Medvedev (2021).
Of the tennis players who are still active, the only thing left to mention, among those who have dominated the tournament, is the Italian Jannik Sinnerwhich won the 2024 edition.
Marin Cilic formed one of the most attractive matches of the opening round, as he faced the Russian Andrey Rublev, who will now face the Finn Otto Virtanen. The winner already has an opponent for the second round, the Spanish Dani Meridawho debuted this Sunday by beating Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in three sets.
