Grand Slam winners (singles and doubles) galore among this group. The four seeds have all gone deep in New York before, as have two of the wildcards for that matter.
Plus, there are some bumper first-round matchups and potential upsets to look out for.
(4)Coco Gauff
The 2023 champion is riding high after winning in Cincinnati for a second time. Gauff is one of three players who can become world No 1 at the conclusion of the US Open, provided she wins the tournament and world No 2 Elena Rybakina loses before the semi-finals. If omens are your thing, Gauff won Cincinnati before going on to win the US Open in 2023. Zeynap Somnez of Turkey is the American No 2’s first-round opponent and her second would be one of Paula Badosa and Daria Kasatkina. Her first seeded opponent is projected to be (28)Sara Bejlek.
(13)Naomi Osaka
Two-time US Open champion entered the tournament as the world No 24 and 23rd seed last year and made a run to the semi-finals. A year on, Osaka is up to 13th in the rankings and playing some of the best tennis since her return to the tour as a mother. The four-time Grand Slam champ has been serving looks around the grounds at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, and faces Anastasia Zakharova in the first round. Osaka is in the stacked bottom half of the draw, alongside world No 2 Elena Rybakina and could meet the Kazakh in the fourth round.
(19) Jasmine Paolini
The Italian No 1 has not played since Wimbledon, where she reached the quarter-finals. Paolini has been managing a left foot injury that has hampered her whole season and withdrew from Washington, Toronto and Cincinnati where she reached the final last year. Although this season has been stop-start in terms of results – 15 wins, 13 losses – Paolini was able to make a deep run at SW19 and will be a threat in the draw regardless of her lack of hard-court matchplay. Veronika Erjavec is Paolini’s first-round opponent.
(22)Madison Keys
Keys, the 2017 US Open runner-up, has reached the second week at all the majors so far this year and will no doubt be looking to carry on that pattern in New York. After a slow start to her North American swing, things picked up for Keys in Cincinnati where she made a run to the quarter-finals. The 2025 Australian Open champion fell in the first round in New York last year, but looks better placed this time around to improve on that showing. Keys gets under way against Alina Korneeva in round one.
(Q)Robin Montgomery
The 2021 girls’ champion is back in the main draw in New York for the first time in three years after coming through qualifying. The 21-year-old American impressively came back from a set down to beat Canada’s Carson Branstine in the final round. Montgomery, searching for her first main-draw win at her home major, faces Greek 32nd seed Maria Sakkari in the first round. Mark this matchup down as a potential upset.
(W)Venus Williams
The two-time US Open champion and wildcard recipient is searching for her first singles win of the season and it could well come against former Grand Slam champion Sofia Kenin, her first-round opponent. Venus’s last Grand Slam appearance came in Australia at the start of the year, and the 46-year-old gave a good account of herself against Olga Danilovic, going down in three sets. Bring that level to New York and she will have every chance of registering a first win of 2026.
Look out for Venus on the doubles court too. She will be teaming up with sister Serena in ladies doubles – draw yet to be made.
Alycia Parks
Parks enters the US Open off the back of a quarter-final run in Monterrey. This season has been challenging for Parks, but the 25-year-old American, who possesses the biggest serve in women’s tennis, has been showing up to compete week after week. Parks has registered some impressive wins at the majors this year – Alexandra Eala in Australia and Leylah Fernandez at the French, both in the first round. Australia’s Taylah Preston is her first-round opponent in New York and a possible meeting with Taylor Townsend in the second is on cards.
Taylor Townsend
For the third Grand Slam in a row, Townsend will face a seeded opponent in the opening round. French Open runner-up Maja Chwalinska, the Polish 20th seed, stands in the way of the second round for Townsend who reached the round of 16 in New York last year. Townsend reached her first ever final on the WTA Tour earlier this year on the hard courts in Houston and also registered three good wins in Toronto and Cincinnati coming into New York. We need to see that match against Alycia Parks in round two.
(W)Sloane Stephens
The 2017 US Open champion has been doing it all in 2026, competing at various levels, vlogging (check the YouTube channel). and punditry. Stephens’ North American hard-court swing began in Memphis and picked up steam at the WTA 1000s, where she came through qualifying to make the second round in Toronto before reaching the third round in Cincinnati. The unseeded Dane Clara Tauson awaits in the first round in New York and it should be a thrilling encounter.
(W)Thea Frodin
Frodin is making her Grand Slam debut in New York. But the 17-year-old American has had a taste of the WTA Tour this season after playing Miami Open qualifying where she gave a good account of herself in a three-set defeat to the experienced Swiss Viktorija Golubic. Frodin, who was the body double for Serena Williams in King Richard, has been drawn against world No 2 Elena Rybakina in the first round. Be sure to tune in.
Who are you looking forward to watching and who is your pick to win the whole thing? Drop your comments below.
Words by Eugene