Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning U.S. Open men’s singles champion, is set to begin his title defense on Sunday against Roman Safiullin. The Spaniard, seeded second, has not played a singles match since April due to a right wrist injury that sidelined him from the French Open and Wimbledon. Alcaraz’s return to competition was marked by a mixed doubles appearance alongside Serena Williams, where his form appeared tentative, underscoring the challenges ahead against a formidable first-round opponent.
Safiullin, who advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon this year, carries momentum into their matchup. The Russian upset both Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca before falling to Novak Djokovic in four sets. Safiullin previously defeated Alcaraz during the 2023 ATP Masters 1000 in Paris, a loss the Spaniard avenged in their only other meeting at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On the women’s side, notable developments emerged from the singles draws announced Thursday. Venus Williams, who received a wildcard into the tournament at age 46, was drawn against 2020 Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin in the first round. The U.S. Tennis Association had initially reserved a wildcard spot for Serena Williams, a six-time U.S. Open winner, who returned to the tour this year but elected to compete only in doubles events. With Serena passing on singles, the wildcard was awarded to Kenin over the weekend, setting up a compelling matchup against Venus.
Other Canadian players face early challenges in the men’s singles draw. Félix Auger-Aliassime, Canada’s highest-ranked male player and seeded third, will open his campaign against Australia’s Rinky Hijikata. Denis Shapovalov is scheduled to face Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in the first round, while No. 31 seed Leylah Fernandez will take on China’s Zhang Shuai in women’s singles. Montreal’s Gabriel Diallo withdrew earlier this month due to ongoing recovery from a leg injury.
Alexander Zverev, who claimed the French Open title this season and rose to No. 1 seed in New York following Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal with a knee injury, will begin his tournament against Italian Lorenzo Sonego. Defending women’s champion Aryna Sabalenka will start against Colombia’s Camila Osorio. Sabalenka, who has faced difficulties during the North American hard-court season, could meet Wimbledon winner Linda Noskova in the quarter-finals.
Potential quarter-final matchups in the women’s draw also include No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina against No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 3 Jessica Pegula versus No. 7 Karolina Muchova, and No. 4 Coco Gauff facing French Open champion Mirra Andreeva, the No. 5 seed. Pegula’s second-round opponent may emerge from the winner of the Williams-Kenin match.
On the men’s side, projected quarter-finals feature top-seeded Zverev against No. 6 Alex de Minaur, Alcaraz against No. 8 Ben Shelton, Auger-Aliassime versus No. 5 Flavio Cobolli, and No. 4 Djokovic set to face No. 7 Daniil Medvedev.
Other notable first-round men’s matches include No. 10 seed Arthur Fils, fresh off his Cincinnati Open title, facing two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 U.S. Open champion playing his final Grand Slam, received a wildcard to meet 2021 Wimbledon finalist Matteo Berrettini, who defeated Wawrinka in four tight sets at Wimbledon. Andrey Rublev, seeded 23rd, will play 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, while No. 13 seed Lorenzo Musetti opens against Britain’s Arthur Fery, a recent Wimbledon semi-finalist.
Several opening-round positions remain undecided pending the conclusion of the qualifying tournament, completed Thursday. Players such as No. 11 seed Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 seed Alex Eala await the finalization of their draws as the tournament kicks off the last Grand Slam of the year.