Every year at the end of summer, the tennis world gathers in New York to put the final point on the Grand Slam season. The US Open is not just the last major of the season, but a two-week endurance marathon under the blazing sun and the night lights at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Qualifying and the mixed doubles got underway on August 24, while the main singles draws will run from August 30 to September 13. Right at the start of the tournament, the organizers announced a record prize pool of $108 million, a 20% increase over last year's figure and the largest prize money in the history of tennis. The singles champions will each receive $5.5 million, the runners-up $2.8 million, the semifinalists $1.45 million, and the quarterfinalists $780,000. In Ukraine, US Open 2026 broadcasts are available on the MEGOGO media service, the Kyivstar TV platform, and the Eurosport channels.
Mixed Doubles: Svitolina and Monfais a Step from the Final, Title to Muchova and Mensik
The real highlight of the first days, turning the start of the US Open into a vibrant show, is traditionally the mixed doubles tournament. The organizers have squeezed it into just three days — from August 24 to 26: the opening rounds, one round of 16, and the quarterfinals took place on the first and second days, while on Wednesday, August 26, fans watched the semifinals and the final. The attention of Ukrainian tennis fans was focused on the team of Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils — the couple received a wild card from the organizers. This was their first time stepping onto the court together at the professional level, although the pair had previously played together at exhibition events. The mixed draw was packed with big names: among the star duos were Serena Williams — Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka — Novak Djokovic, Belinda Bencic — Flavio Cobolli, Karolina Muchova — Jakub Mensik, and Tain Andreeva — Andrey Rublev. The Ukrainian-French duo confirmed their status, displaying brilliant tennis and excellent on-court chemistry, and stopped just short of the decisive match: in the semifinal, Svitolina and Monfils lost to the Bencic — Cobolli pair in an exciting contest on a super tiebreak. The mixed doubles champions were Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, who beat Bencic and Cobolli in the final 6-3, 1-6, 10-6. This was their first shared Grand Slam title, and the Czech pair received $1 million for the victory.
Men's Draw: Top Favorite Missing Sinner
The biggest news ahead of the start of the men's main draw — Yannick Sinner's withdrawal due to a knee injury. The world No. 1 has not competed since July of this year, after his Wimbledon 2026 victory, and for the tournament this means the key thing — a vacancy has appeared at the top of the hierarchy. After Sinner's withdrawal, the main title contender looks like Carlos Alcaraz — the reigning US Open champion, who in 2025 beat Sinner himself in the final. However, Alcaraz is returning from a wrist injury that kept him off the court for more than four months — Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and all of his hard-court preparation. Bookmakers rate his chances higher than any other player at the tournament: the average odds on Alcaraz's victory among leading bookmakers are around 2.5, followed by Zverev (4.2) and Djokovic (8.5), but the question of form remains open. Earlier in the season, Alcaraz had already won the Australian Open, defeating Novak Djokovic in four sets in the final. The Serbian himself remains a story of the tournament in his own right: a four-time US Open champion and the all-time record holder for Grand Slam titles, this year he will be aiming to conquer a new peak — winning his 25th Grand Slam.
Favorites and the Ukrainian Trace in Qualifying
Alexander Zverev, the reigning Roland Garros champion and Wimbledon 2026 finalist, arrives at the US Open as one of the top favorites in the men's draw and the No. 1 seed. His chances of success are bolstered by a powerful first serve, a high percentage of points won on his serve, and rich experience at the deep stages of majors; Zverev is the first German citizen to become a Grand Slam champion since Boris Becker. Ben Shelton arrives at the home major after his title in Montreal — his second ATP 1000 in his career — and his aggressive left-handed style and powerful serve make him dangerous for any seeded opponent. Among the other contenders are Taylor Fritz, who with the support of the home crowd remains one of the most reliable Americans on fast hard, and Flavio Cobolli, who after the Roland Garros 2026 final and the ATP 1000 semifinal in Cincinnati has transformed from a dark horse into a genuine contender; Felix Auger-Aliassime already has a US Open 2025 semifinal under his belt and enters this tournament in the status of one of the medal contenders. On the Ukrainian front, Kristina Liutova made it into the main draw, beating Martina Kubekova 2-0 in the qualifying final on August 28, which adds local interest to the start of the main tournament.
