The US Open is set to dominate the tennis agenda for the next two weeks, with the biggest names in the sport battling it out for the final Grand Slam title of the year at Flushing Meadows.
Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner are the defending singles champions in New York, but both arrive with doubts hanging over them after some hurdles were thrown in their path over the last few weeks.
Carlos Alcaraz, Iga Swiatek and Novak Djokovic are among the big names eager to get into the mix for the record breaking $5m prize money windfall that will be handed to the champions after what will be a long and draining 15-day tournament and here is your All Court Tennis Club guide to some of the stories to look out for.
SINNER vs ALCARAZ
We were expecting to get insight into what was to come at the US Open when world No.1 Jannik Sinner and his nearest rival Carlos Alcaraz made it through to the final of the Cincinnati Masters, but that hope was cruelly dashed.
Sinner was struck down by illness and was forced to pull out of the final, with that ‘result’ technically ending his long unbeaten run on hard courts that stretched back to last October.
If Sinner recovers in time to play at his best in the opening week of the US Open, he will be the player to beat, but the opposition may dare to believe he could be unsettled by the illness that struck him down.
The rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz is the new big show in tennis right now and after they played against each other in an epic French Open final in June and then in the Wimbledon final, the odds must be on another Jannik vs Carlos battle in the US Open final.
WOMEN’S CROWN UP FOR GRABS
Aryna Sabalenka has been the undisputed world No.1 in 2025, but she has come up short in the three Grand Slams after losing in the final of the Australian Open and French Open, before being beaten by Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Those defeats seem to have taken some of the edge off big-hitting Sabalenka, who did not look at her best as she was well beaten by Elena Rybakina in Cincinnati last week.
By contrast, her great rival Iga Swiatek is on an impressive march back to the top.
Polish great Swiatek suffered an unexpected collapse in form and confidence in a year that saw her rocked by an unfortunate positive doping test, after a sleeping product she was using proved to be contaminated by a banned substance.
Swiatek stormed back to her best by winning Wimbledon for the first time last month and she then confirmed her aura is being restored as she won in Cincinnati.
Those two wins have inspired many to suggest Swiatek is the favourite to win the women’s title at the US Open, but Sabalenka will have something to say about that.
WHAT ABOUT NOVAK DJOKOVIC?
It feels like the most successful male player of all-time has slipped off the attention radar ahead of what may be his final big attempt to win what would be a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic has been the third best player in the world in those tournaments, but the manner of his defeats against Sinner at the French Open and Wimbledon suggests he will struggle to beat the world No.1 on a slick hard court.
The Serbian may need misfortune or a shock defeat to affect Sinner or Alcaraz to have a stab at US Open glory, but that can happen over the course of a two-week Grand Slam tournament.
LOOK OUT FOR
Four years have passed since Emma Raducanu came through qualifying to win the US Open and propel herself to instant global superstardom.
What came next was predictably less glorious, as the teenager struggled to adapt to life on the WTA Tour and suffered injuries that hampered her progress.
Now 22, Raducanu is starting to show signs that she can compete with the best in tennis once again after pushing world No.1 Sabalenka close in two matches over the last few weeks and if she gets some luck with the draw, the unseeded Brit will be one to watch in New York.
Victoria Mboko is another player breaking through in the women’s game.
Her stunning win in the W1000 tournament in front of her home fans in Canada this month had echoes of Raducanu’s stunning breakthrough win and Mboko will look to build on her rise up the WTA Rankings in New York.
In the men’s draw, look out for France’s Terence Atmane, after he made a breakthrough run at the Cincinnati Masters and didn’t look out of place as he performed admirably in his semi-final against world No.1 Sinner.
If you are looking for a contender to unsettle Sinner and Alcaraz, America’s big-serving Ben Shelton may be the most likely candidate, as well as last year’s US Open semi-finalist, Britain’s Jack Draper.