10 players to watch out for at the US Open 2026
• 4 minute read
The US hard court swing has already brought plenty of exciting storylines across the WTA and ATP Tour, setting us up for what promises to be a memorable US Open.
The tournament gets underway from Sunday 23 August with the qualifying stages and concludes on Sunday 13 September.
With the world's best stars gearing up to battle it out for the final Grand Slam title of the season, we spotlight 10 British and international players to look out for at this year's US Open.
Cam Norrie
After difficult clay and grass court campaigns, Cam Norrie has well and truly found his feet on the hard courts where he’s clocked some of his best results of the season so far.
The British No.1 recorded his first Tour-level win since April in Los Cabos and went on to reach the semi-finals - losing out to Denis Shapovalov in a tight three-set battle.
He enjoyed a run to the fourth round in Montreal and pushed top seed Alexander Zverev to three sets in the second round at the Cincinnati Open - placing him in fine stead heading into the final major of the year.
Katie Boulter
Four-time WTA titleholder Katie Boulter will fly the British flag as the only woman with direct entry into this year's main draw.
The British No.2 recorded a career-best run of the third round at the US Open in 2023 and will be aiming to better that this year.
Boulter has shown encouraging signs during the US hard court swing, defeating Katie Volynets at the Cincinnati Open to secure her first WTA main draw victory since reaching the HSBC Championships semi-final in June.
With the Brit gradually finding her feet on the surface, she’ll be hoping to close out her 2026 Grand Slam on a high at Flushing Meadows.
Carlos Alcaraz
Reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his return at the US Open after being sidelined with a wrist injury for four months.
The Spaniard hasn't competed since withdrawing ahead of his second match at the Barcelona Open back in April and was forced to miss Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Now, Alcaraz has confirmed his return in New York where he'll be hoping for a fast start as the defending champion - following his victory over world No.1 Jannik Sinner in last year's final.
All eyes will be on how quickly Alcaraz can find his level on one of the biggest stages in the world, and whether he'll be able to become the first man to win back-to-back US Open titles since Roger Federer in 2008.
Alexandra Eala
It was just a matter of time before Philippine sensation Alexandra Eala secured her first WTA title.
The 21-year-old embarked on a sensational run at the Mubadala Citi Open - defeating former US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez, Elina Svitolina, multiple Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka and top seed Jessica Pegula on her way to sealing a maiden Tour-level crown at the WTA 500 event.
Prior to that, she also made history in SW19 - becoming the first professional player from the Philippines to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam.
It’s safe to say Eala is in the form of her career so far, and with her fighting spirit, could be tipped to lift her first major title this year.
Arthur Fery
Just two months ago, Arthur Fery would’ve looked destined for the qualifying draw in New York.
Now, the Brit arrives as one of the stories of the season after a breakthrough grass court season that propelled him into the world’s top 40, and guaranteed him a spot in the US Open main draw for the first time.
It comes just six weeks after his unforgettable run to the final four in Wimbledon, where he beat the likes of Lexus Eastbourne Open champion Zizou Bergs, former top 10 star Grigor Dimitrov and ninth seed Flavio Cobolli in front of his home crowd.
Fery has since gone on to secure his first Masters 1000 main draw win in Cincinnati and will look to pick up where he left off on the Grand Slam stage when he makes his US Open debut.
Iga Swiatek
Former world No.1 Iga Swiatek heads to New York with renewed momentum after capturing a long-awaited first title of the season at the WTA 1000 event in Toronto.
Swiatek - who was crowned the US Open champion in 2022 - has been struggling for consistency this year, failing to defend her Wimbledon women’s singles crown last month and suffering a fourth-round exit in Paris.
However, with confidence restored and a proven record on the big stage, Swiatek will be among the leading contenders for the title as she targets a seventh career Grand Slam trophy.
Ben Shelton
USA's Ben Shelton has made an electric return to home soil - hitting form at the perfect time heading into New York.
The world No.6 became the fourth man this century to successfully defend the National Bank Open title in Canada, joining an elite group consisting of Andy Murray (2009-2010), Novak Djokovic (2011-2012) and Rafael Nadal (2018-2019).
The American has won four of his seven Tour-level titles on hard courts and reached his first of two Grand Slam semi-finals in New York in 2023, where he narrowly lost out to Djokovic. Shelton will be hoping to replicate that success this time out.
Aryna Sabalenka
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka hasn’t won a tournament since completing the Sunshine Double at Indian Wells and the Miami Open back in March - but where better to spark that winning form than at Flushing Meadows where she arrives as the two-time defending champion.
Sabalenka successfully overcame a spirited Amanda Anisimova in last year’s final to back up her 2024 win against Jessica Pegula and seal her second successive US Open crown.
The 27-year-old will be eager to find her rhythm quickly, with just 500 points separating her from world No.2 Elena Rybakina, who will be hungry to overtake Sabalenka at the top of the world rankings once the fortnight concludes if she can recover from her ankle injury in time.
Linda Noskova
Linda Noskova heads to Flushing Meadows as a Grand Slam champion for the first time.
The Czech star has been in unstoppable form this year, building her momentum on the clay before enjoying a breakthrough grass court swing.
After capturing the singles and doubles crowns in Berlin, Noskova only improved at Wimbledon, overcoming the likes of Madison Keys, Marta Kostyuk and Karolina Muchova on her way to being crowned a Grand Slam champion for the first time.
With that comes a new weight of expectation for Noskova, who will enter the tournament as the eighth seed and one of the players to beat in the upcoming fortnight.
Rafael Jodar
Spanish teenager Rafael Jodar has been one of, if not the, breakthrough star on the ATP Tour this season.
The 19-year-old kick-started his rapid ascension by lifting his first Tour-level title in Marrakech, before being spurred on to quarter-final runs at the Madrid Open, Italian Open and Roland Garros - marking his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Currently sitting at a career-high ranking of world No.11 Jodar has made a red-hot start to the hard court swing, reaching his first ATP 500 final at the Mubadala Citi Open where he finished runner-up to Taylor Fritz, and making the final four at the National Bank Open.
With Jodar brimming with confidence, and on the brink of smashing the record for the fastest rise to the ATP top 10, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Spaniard set sail on a fairytale run in New York.
