How do US Open seedings work?
What is seeding in tennis?
Seedings in tennis are the ranking a player receives before entering a tournament. Seedings are awarded to the highest-ranked WTA and ATP players and are crucial to ensuring a more balanced draw.
Seedings also prevent the top players from competing against each other until the later rounds of a tournament. For example, the top four seeds wouldn't meet each other until the semi-finals of a Grand Slam.
How do US Open seedings work?
At the US Open, seedings are based directly on the ATP and WTA rankings published shortly before the tournament begins.
For the men's singles draw, players are seeded according to their ATP ranking, while the women's singles seedings are based on the WTA rankings.
The 32 highest-ranked players entered into each singles draw receive a seed. These players are then placed throughout the draw to help ensure that the top-ranked players don't meet until the later stages of the tournament.
If a highly-ranked player withdraws before the draw is made, the seedings are adjusted accordingly, allowing the next eligible player to move up into a seeded position.
Seedings are also used across the men's, women's and mixed doubles events, as well as the wheelchair competitions.
Why are seedings important at the US Open?
Being seeded can offer a more favourable route through the opening rounds of the tournament.
A seeded player cannot face another seed in the first round, which reduces the chances of a blockbuster match-up taking place too early. The highest seeds are also strategically placed within the draw to ensure the tournament's leading players are spread evenly across both halves and quarters.
However, while seedings can influence the draw, they do not guarantee success. Every year, unseeded players and lower-ranked competitors cause upsets and make deep runs at Flushing Meadows.
How many players are seeded at the US Open?
There are 32 seeded players in both the men's and women's singles draws.
The seeds are numbered from one to 32 based on the latest ATP and WTA rankings used for the tournament. The No.1 seed is the highest-ranked player entered in the draw, while the No.32 seed is the lowest-ranked seeded player.
Who are the top seeds at the 2026 US Open?
Find out who the top seeds are for the 2026 US Open singles:
Women's singles
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
- Jessica Pegula (USA)
- Coco Gauff (USA)
- Mirra Andreeva
- Linda Noskova (CZE)
- Karolina Muchova (CZE)
- Iga Swiatek (POL)
- Elina Svitolina (UKR)
- Amanda Anisimova (USA)
- Marta Kostyuk (UKR)
- Belinda Bencic (SUI)
- Naomi Osaka (JPN)
- Iva Jovic (USA)
- Diana Shnaider
- Sorana Cirstea (ROU)
- Alexandra Eala (PHI)
- Ekaterina Alexandrova
- Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
- Maja Chwalinska (POL)
- Anna Kalinskaya
- Madison Keys (USA)
- Elise Mertens (BEL)
- Anastasia Potapova
- Emma Navarro (USA)
- Marie Bouzkova (CZE)
- Barbora Krejcikova (CZE)
- Sara Bejlek (CZE)
- Ann Li (USA)
- Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
- Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
- Maria Sakkari (GRE)
Men's singles
- Alexander Zverev (GER)
- Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
- Novak Djokovic (SRB)
- Flavio Cobolli (ITA)
- Alex de Minaur (AUS)
- Daniil Medvedev
- Ben Shelton (USA)
- Taylor Fritz (USA)
- Arthur Fils (FRA)
- Frances Tiafoe (USA)
- Rafael Jodar (ESP)
- Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
- Learner Tien (USA)
- Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
- Brandon Nakashima (USA)
- Jakub Mensik (CZE)
- Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
- Casper Ruud (NOR)
- Tommy Paul (USA)
- Luciano Darderi (ITA)
- Valentin Vacherot (MON)
- Andrey Rublev
- Fran Cerundolo (ARG)
- Joao Fonseca (BRA)
- Alejandro Tabilo (CHI)
- Arthur Rinderknech (FRA)
- Ugo Humbert (FRA)
- Tomas Martín Etcheverry (ARG)
- Alexander Blockx (BEL)
- Zizou Bergs (BEL)
- Cam Norrie (GBR)
FAQs
Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka is the No.1 seed in the women's singles.
In the men's singles, Roland Garros champion Alexander Zverev is the top seed.
Since 2001, all four Grand Slam tournaments have used 32 seeds in men's and women's singles draws.
The seeding system is designed to spread the tournament's highest-ranked players evenly throughout the draw, reducing the chances of top contenders meeting in the early rounds.
Yes, several unseeded players have won the US Open.
One of the most famous cases of this was Emma Raducanu's historic title run in 2021. She became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam title in the Open Era when she lifted the women's singles trophy in New York.
If a seeded player withdraws before the draw is made, the seedings are adjusted, and the next-highest-ranked player moves into a seeded position.
However, once the draw has been completed, a withdrawing player is usually replaced by a lucky loser from qualifying, and the seeded positions are not replaced.
View the full list of seeded players from the women's and men's singles draw at this year's US Open.
Women's US Open seeds 2025:
- Aryna Sabalenka
- Iga Swiatek (POL)
- Coco Gauff (USA)
- Jessica Pegula (USA)
- Mirra Andreeva
- Madison Keys (USA)
- Jasmine Paolini (ITA)
- Amanda Anisimova (USA)
- Elena Rybakina (KAZ)
- Emma Navarro (USA)
- Karolina Muchova (CZE_
- Elina Svitolina (UKR)
- Ekaterina Alexandrova
- Clara Tauson (DEN)
- Daria Kasatkina (AUS)
- Belinda Bencic (SUI)
- Liudmila Samsonova
- Beatriz Haddad Maia (BRA)
- Elise Mertens (BEL)
- Diana Shnaider
- Linda Noskova (CZE)
- Victoria Mboko (CAN)
- Naomi Osaka (JPN)
- Veronika Kudermetova
- Jelena Ostapenko (LAT)
- Sofia Kenin (USA)
- Marta Kostyuk (UKR)
- Magdalena Frech (POL)
- Anna Kalinskaya
- Dayana Yastremska (UKR)
- Leylah Fernandez (CAN)
- McCartney Kessler (USA)
Men's US Open seeds 2025:
- Jannik Sinner (ITA)
- Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
- Alexander Zverev (GER)
- Taylor Fritz (USA)
- Jack Draper (GBR)
- Ben Shelton (USA)
- Novak Djokovic (SRB)
- Alex De Minaur (AUS)
- Karen Khachanov
- Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)
- Holger Rune (DEN)
- Casper Ruud (NOR)
- Daniil Medvedev
- Tommy Paul (USA)
- Andrey Rublev
- Jakub Mensik (CZE)
- Frances Tiafoe (USA)
- Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (ESP)
- Francisco Cerundolo (ARG)
- Arthur Fils (FRA)
- Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
- Tomas Machac (CZE)
- Ugo Humbert (FRA)
- Alexander Bublik (KAZ)
- Flavio Cobolli (ITA)
- Felix Auger-Aliassime (CAN)
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)
- Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
- Alex Michelsen (USA)
- Tallon Griekspoor (NED)
- Brandon Nakashima (USA)
- Gabriel Diallo (CAN)
Today, all four Grand Slam tournaments use the ATP and WTA rankings to determine seedings.
Historically, Wimbledon used its own formula for men's seedings, taking grass-court performances into account. However, since 2021, Wimbledon has aligned with the other Grand Slams and now seeds players directly according to the world rankings.
Seedings are based on a player's ranking and are used in tournament draws so that the top-ranked stars don't meet until the later rounds.
A player's seeding can be higher than their ranking depending on the other players in the draw. For example, if the world No.1 isn't competing but the No.2 is, they will be the top seed.