It's been another gruelling season of tennis & the final Grand Slam of 2026 will begin this weekend. In the men's side, Carlos Alcaraz makes his long awaited return, while Jannik Sinner sits this one out. There's plenty of drama on the women's side of things as well with a very possible new #1 ranking on the line. This is the biggest tournament of the year within the USA, with lots still up for grabs. Here's what to expect in this year's edition of the US Open. 

Men's Best Matchup: Matteo Berrettini vs. Stan Wawrinka 

Surprisingly, the only ever time that these two players have met was at Wimbledon earlier this year. That matchup was an epic battle of back and forth tennis, with a final score of 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6 in favor of the Italian. You don't see many matches that conclude in grand slams with only tiebreakers. That should set this matchup up to be another instant classic in the opening round of the US Open. This will be the final Grand Slam event for Stan Wawrinka, which should fuel him for this encounter. Expect more fireworks. 

Women's Best Matchup: Iga Świątek (8) vs. Wang Xiyu 

These two women have met up a couple of times before, both meetings back in 2024. Now, Wang Xiyu has improved and we have not seen the best of Iga Swiatek in Grand Slams in quite a while now. I do believe that the Swiss player is in her best form of the season coming into this match. However, she sometimes begins tournaments a bit flat and that could give some chances to Wang Xiyu to keep this one close. I do anticipate the top 10 player to prevail, but this definitely could be a closer match than people think. 

Carlos Alcaraz +250
Alexander Zrever +300
Novak Djokovic +700
Ben Shelton +900
Rafael Jodar +1200
Taylor Fritz +1200
Arthur Fils +1200
Felix Auger-Aliassime +2800
Jakub Mensik +3000
Flavio Cobolli +3500

Aryna Sabalenka +320
Coco Gauff +500
Iga Swiatek +550
Naomi Osaka +1000
Elena Rybakina +1100
Jessica Pegula +1200
Mirra Andreeva +1400 
Amanda Anisimova +1600
Marta Kostyuk +1800
Alexandra Eala +2800

Men's Draw.) Like I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this article, current #1 overall in the world - Jannik Sinner - will not be competing in this tournament. He's dealing with a knee injury, which is definitely something to be cautious about. That being said, Carlos Alcaraz returns to the big stage after missing the past few months including the French Open/Wimbledon. He will not be the #1 seed in this event however, with Alexander Zverev holding that title. The German won his first ever grand slam at Roland Garros earlier this season & has his eyes on the prize once again with Sinner sitting out. Novak Djokovic continues the pursuit of his 25th grand slam win & might not have too many more chances like this left considering his age. A name that stands out to me right now is Arthur Fils. After dealing with his knocks earlier in the season, he's finally healthy and playing his best tennis right now. I would not be shocked whatsoever if he picks up right where he left off in Cincinnati and cruises right through to at least a Quarterfinal matchup with Carlos Alcaraz. Don't be shocked if he beats him there either. Nobody really knows how healthy the Spaniard is at the moment. Either way, this men's draw is up in the air completely and there's a real chance that someone unexpected will take home the 2026 US Open Championship. 

Women's Draw.) Aryna Sabalenka was the clear #1 overall in the world a year ago. It's quite amazing that everyone's been able to catch up to her lately. While I wouldn't be stunned if she won of course, considering that she hasn't won a tournament since the Miami Open in March, this draw is completely wide open. Elena Rybakina can become the new #1 in the world by making the Semi Finals. Not only that, but Coco Gauff or Jessica Pegula also have the opportunity to gain that #1 ranking with certain outcomes. Don't sleep on Iga Swiatek though who seems to be back & playing some of the best tennis of her career. There's always emotions that play into a longer tournament like this. However, the women's draw is more wide open than it's ever been before and there's no clear expected winner anymore. That's what's going to make both of the Men's & Women's competition so intense here in 2026. I really like Swiatek & Kostyuk at the current odds. Both could definitely go far and win the whole thing.