2026 U.S. Open tennis championships: 5 things to know about the annual event in Flushing
Serena Williams and Venus Williams compete in doubles during the 2022 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 1, 2022 in Flushing. Credit: Getty Images/Elsa
The main draw of the 146th US Open gets underway Sunday, and there’s plenty to look out for at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Here are five things to know about this year’s tournament.
Alcaraz returns to defend title
A right wrist injury had sidelined Carlos Alcaraz since April, but the 23-year-old sensation from Spain is back.
Alcaraz, the 2025 and 2022 US Open champion and seven-time Grand Slam champion, will play his first singles match since April 14 on Monday, when he faces Russian Roman Safiullin in the first round.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain returns the ball during a mixed doubles match at the US Open tennis championships on Aug. 25, 2026 in Flushing. Credit: AP/Yuki Iwamura
The current world No. 3, Alcaraz is the betting favorite to win his third Open title. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Open with a right knee injury.
Alexander Zverev, this year’s French Open champion and the No. 2 player in the world, is the top-seeded player in the field and could meet Alcaraz in the final. The legendary Novak Djokovic, who is in search of his 25th Grand Slam title, potentially could face Alcaraz in the semifinals.
Alcaraz missed both Wimbledon and the French Open this year but won the Australian Open on Feb. 1 to complete the career Grand Slam. He has won three of the previous four majors he played in.
He returned to competitive action in Queens on Tuesday, when he teamed up with Serena Williams in mixed doubles. They won their round of 16 match before falling in the quarterfinals. Alcaraz had to shake off some early rust and double-faulted his first point back.
“I was really, really nervous,” he said then. “I was out for four months ... I almost forget how it feels.”
New York fans certainly hope he can return to form and put on a show the next two weeks.
Doubles the fun: Serena, Venus together again
For the first time in a Grand Slam since the 2022 US Open, the Williams sisters are back as a doubles duo.
Serena Williams and Venus Williams received a wild card into the US Open’s women’s doubles tournament, which will begin Thursday. The draw will be revealed Tuesday.
Serena, 44, and Venus, 46, won doubles titles as a team at the US Open in 1999 and 2009. They have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles together, six at Wimbledon, four at the Australian Open and two at the French Open. Their most recent major title was in 2016 at Wimbledon.
They recently teamed up at the Cincinnati Open on Aug. 17, losing in the first round. At the 2022 US Open, they also lost in the first round.
This year’s women’s doubles final will be played on Sept. 11 inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
LI's Kennedy makes slam debut
How sweet will this be for Jack Kennedy?
Kennedy, 18, from Huntington, will make his Grand Slam debut at his hometown major on Sunday when he’ll face Lloyd Harris in the first round as the second match on Court 12.
Jack Kennedy of Long Island competes during his second-round match of the US Open Junior Boys' singles draw in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Sept. 2, 2025. Credit: Errol Anderson
He received a wild card into the main draw by winning the singles title at the USTA Boys’ 18s National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, on Aug. 16. A freshman at the University of Virginia, Kennedy is the No. 386 player in the world.
While this is Kennedy’s first major experience in men’s singles, it isn’t his first rodeo at the National Tennis Center. He won the US Open junior boys doubles title last year and previously played in qualifying and junior boys singles in 2024 and 2025.
Expect a lot of local support for Kennedy in what should be a lively scene on Court 12.
Top Americans in the field
Three of the top 10 women’s players in the world are American: Jessica Pegula (No. 3), Coco Gauff (No. 4) and Amanda Anisimova (No. 10). The next-highest ranked American women are Iva Jovic (No. 14), Madison Keys (No. 23), Emma Navarro (No. 27) and Ann Li (No. 30).
Keys, 31, the 2025 Australian Open champion, reached the final in 2017 but lost in the first round last year. The 25-year-old Navarro reached the semifinals in 2024.
Five American men are ranked in the top 30 of the world: Ben Shelton (No. 9), Taylor Fritz (No. 10), Frances Tiafoe (No. 12), Learner Tien (No. 15), Brandon Nakashima (No. 17) and Tommy Paul (No. 21).
Fritz reached the final in 2024, losing to Sinner. Tiafoe and Shelton each have had captivating runs to the semifinals, the former in 2022 and 2024 and the latter in 2023.
Food, drinks to look for
Grey Goose Honey Deuce cocktails are served during the 2019 US Open at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sep. 2, 2019. Credit: Getty Images for Grey Goose/Monica Schipper
The Honey Deuce, the US Open’s long-time signature cocktail that is made with raspberry liqueur, vodka and lemonade, is back for another year at $23 per drink.
But there’s also a new drink in town: the Moet Serve, Moet and Chandon’s new $20 cocktail that includes Moet Ice Imperial champagne garnished with fresh lime and sealed in a tennis ball canister.
On the food side, Salt Hank’s — the West Village sandwich shop known for its viral French dip sandwich — is the most popular first-time dining experience at the US Open.
Other new dining options at the Open this year include Cosme, a Mexican restaurant in the Flatiron District, and Mediterranean restaurant Miznon.
Ben Dickson is Newsday Sports' general assignment reporter. He joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.
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