Carlos Alcaraz will begin his U.S. Open title defense against Roman Safiullin, a dangerous first-round opponent who made an impressive run at Wimbledon while the Spaniard was sidelined by injury.
The main draw for the year's final Grand Slam was revealed Thursday, setting up a series of intriguing matchups and several potential blockbuster clashes in New York.
The tournament begins Sunday, with Alcaraz entering as the No. 2 seed after missing both the French Open and Wimbledon because of a right wrist injury.
His return to singles competition will come against Safiullin, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and knocked off Andrey Rublev and Joao Fonseca before losing to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in four sets.
Safiullin has also beaten Alcaraz before. He upset the Spaniard at the 2023 Paris Masters, when Alcaraz was ranked No. 2 in the world.
Alcaraz responded with a victory over Safiullin at the 2024 Paris Olympics, making their U.S. Open meeting a rubber match of sorts.
Alcaraz has played only mixed doubles since his injury layoff, partnering with Serena Williams in an exhibition-style mixed doubles event before the tournament. The lack of singles competition could make his opening test particularly demanding.
The women's draw produced one of the most tantalizing what-ifs of the tournament.
Venus Williams, who received a wild card at age 46, was drawn to face Sofia Kenin in the opening round.
The matchup took on added significance because the U.S. Tennis Association had initially held one wild card spot open, leaving the door for Serena Williams to potentially join her sister in New York.
Serena, a six-time U.S. Open champion, returned to tennis this year for the first time since 2022 but decided to compete only in doubles. The USTA subsequently awarded the final wild card to Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.
Had Serena chosen to play singles, the draw could have produced a first-round meeting between the Williams sisters.
Instead, Venus will face Kenin, while Jessica Pegula could await the winner in the second round. Pegula, the No. 3 seed, opens against Elena-Gabriela Ruse.
Alexander Zverev is the men's No. 1 seed after defending champion Jannik Sinner withdrew because of a knee injury. The French Open champion will open against Italian Lorenzo Sonego.
Zverev is positioned for a potential quarterfinal against No. 6 Alex de Minaur.
Other projected men's quarterfinals include No. 3 Felix Auger-Aliassime against No. 5 Flavio Cobolli, Alcaraz against No. 8 Ben Shelton, and Djokovic against No. 7 Daniil Medvedev.
Several first-round matches stand out.
Arthur Fils, the No. 10 seed, will face Stefanos Tsitsipas, a former No. 3 player and two-time Grand Slam finalist, in one of the tournament's more compelling opening-round matchups.
Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 U.S. Open champion, will begin his final Grand Slam appearance before retirement against Matteo Berrettini. The 2021 Wimbledon runner-up defeated Wawrinka in four sets at Wimbledon, with every set decided by a tiebreaker.
The winner in New York is likely to face Djokovic in the second round.
No. 23 seed Rublev will meet 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic, while No. 13 Lorenzo Musetti, who reached the quarterfinals in New York last year, will face British qualifier Arthur Fery. Fery reached the Wimbledon semifinals before losing to Zverev.
Two-time defending women's champion Aryna Sabalenka will start her campaign against Camila Osorio.
The top-ranked Sabalenka has struggled during the North American hard-court swing leading into the U.S. Open, raising questions about whether she can become the first woman since Serena Williams to win three consecutive titles at Flushing Meadows.
Sabalenka could face Wimbledon champion Linda Noskova, the No. 6 seed, in the quarterfinals.
The other projected women's quarterfinals are No. 2 Elena Rybakina against No. 8 Iga Swiatek, No. 4 Coco Gauff against No. 5 Mirra Andreeva, and No. 3 Pegula against No. 7 Karolina Muchova.
Rybakina and Swiatek are positioned in the bottom half alongside Gauff and Andreeva, while Pegula and Muchova are in Sabalenka's half.
Some opening-round matchups remain unsettled because of rain delays in qualifying. The qualifying tournament was scheduled to conclude Thursday, but several matches were pushed to Friday.
Among the players still waiting to learn their opponents are No. 11 Marta Kostyuk and No. 17 Alex Eala.
