The draw for the US Open 2026 men's singles was unveiled in New York on Wednesday, setting the stage for the year's final Grand Slam — which begins on August 30 with a notable absence and a star-studded Italian contingent.
Jannik Sinner will not be at Flushing Meadows. The defending champion and world No. 1 withdrew due to a knee injury, leaving Alexander Zverev as the top seed for the first time at a major this season. Carlos Alcaraz takes the No. 2 position, with Felix Auger-Aliassime third, Novak Djokovic fourth and Flavio Cobolli seeded fifth — the highest-ranked Italian in the draw.
Seven Italians feature in the main draw: Cobolli, Lorenzo Musetti, Luciano Darderi, Matteo Arnaldi, Matteo Berrettini, Mattia Bellucci and Lorenzo Sonego. It is the strongest Italian showing at the US Open in recent memory, and the task is clear — at least one of them must reach the round of 16, a feat that has been achieved every year since Berrettini's breakthrough semifinal run in 2019.
**Key First-Round Italian Matches**
Cobolli, fresh from a Cincinnati final and a mixed doubles final in New York, opens against Argentine Francisco Comesana, ranked 123rd. The Roman leads their head-to-head 1-0 and could face Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals.
Musetti, the No. 13 seed, meets British player Arthur Fery — who reached a shock Wimbledon semifinal — in the first round. A potential all-Italian third-round derby with Darderi looms.
Berrettini draws Stan Wawrinka in what the Swiss maestro has indicated will be his final Grand Slam. Wawrinka, a former US Open champion in 2016, enters with a wild card. If Berrettini advances, he will face Djokovic in the second round — a blockbuster encounter between two players who have produced memorable US Open matches in the past.
Sonego faces the toughest assignment of all: top seed Zverev in the first round. The German has won all six of their previous meetings.
Arnaldi meets Australia's Jason Duckworth, while Bellucci and Darderi both face qualifiers.
**The Top Half**
Zverev's quarter also contains Musetti, Rafael Jodar (12th seed) and Alex de Minaur (sixth). The theoretical round-of-16 matchups suggest Zverev could meet Musetti at that stage — a difficult proposition for the Italian, though Musetti has shown he can compete with the best on hard courts.
Auger-Aliassime, the No. 3 seed, lines up against Cobolli in the same quarter, with Taylor Fritz (ninth seed) also present. The theoretical last-16 draw pits Fritz against Cobolli.
**The Bottom Half**
Djokovic, seeded fourth and chasing a 25th Grand Slam title, occupies the same quarter as Daniil Medvedev (seventh seed), Frances Tiafoe (11th) and Brandon Nakashima (16th). The Serbian's path through the bottom half could see him face Medvedev in the quarter-finals.
Alcaraz, returning after more than four months away, has Roman Safiullin in the first round and faces Ben Shelton (eighth seed), Arthur Fils (10th) and Alexander Bublik (15th) in his quarter. The theoretical round of 16 pits Alcaraz against Bublik — a dangerous floater who thrives on faster surfaces.
**Prize Money and Significance**
This year's US Open becomes the first Grand Slam to exceed $100 million in total prize money — $108 million to be precise, with the men's and women's singles champions each taking home $5.5 million (approximately €4.7 million). The tournament promises to deliver either a first-time Slam winner or Djokovic's remarkable 25th major title. For Italy, the depth of talent on show makes this edition especially compelling.
Sources
- https://www.ubitennis.com/blog/2026/08/27/us-open-2026-il-tabellone-maschile-musetti-e-cobolli-dal-lato-di-zverev-alcaraz-con-djokovic/
- https://sport.sky.it/tennis/2026/08/27/us-open-2026-tabellone
