The player list for this year’s final tennis Grand Slam, the US Open, has been unveiled.
The U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) released the direct entry list for the US Open on Wednesday. The list is based on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings as of July 21. The cutoff for direct entry was world No. 102 for women and No. 101 for men.
Defending champion and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus is gunning for her third straight US Open title. If successful, Sabalenka would be the first player to achieve this feat since Serena Williams’ three-peat from 2012 to 2014.
In the men’s draw, all eyes are on world No. 1 Jannik Sinner of Italy as he vies for the championship.
After falling to Carlos Alcaraz (world No. 3, Spain) in last year’s US Open men’s singles final, Sinner is determined to reclaim the crown. Fresh off his Wimbledon triumph, the Italian is riding a wave of momentum.
Alcaraz, who missed the last two majors due to a wrist injury, is set to make his comeback on the hard courts. The Spaniard will be looking to defend his US Open title.
On the women’s side, Anastasia Zakharova of Russia (world No. 102) snagged the final direct entry spot. For the men, Austria’s Philipp Misolic (world No. 101) secured his place through the protected ranking system.
The remaining spots in the 128-player draw will be filled by USTA wild cards and qualifiers from the week before the main event.
Meanwhile, Serena Williams, who returned to competitive tennis after a four-year hiatus only to suffer an injury in the first round of Wimbledon, is expected to receive a wild card for the US Open if she’s fit to play.