It’s time for the final major of the year, when hundreds of the world’s top tennis professionals gather in New York City for their chance on the hard courts of the U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
The main draw kicks off on Monday, August 26, 2024 at 11:00 am ET, and ends on Sunday, September 7, 2024, with the men’s singles final headlining that day.
Here’s a preview of this year’s U.S. Open, with a look at some of the big questions and fine details to get the most out of the next two weeks of tennis action in New York.
How to Watch the U.S. Open
In the U.S., ESPN channels and ESPN+ are the main avenues for catching matches throughout the next two weeks of the U.S. Open. Tennis Channel will host a two-hour show each morning. For international coverage, consult the U.S. Open media partners page.
Three Big Questions
1) Is anybody healthy enough to perform well for two weeks? When you pack three majors into roughly three months, it’s already a huge ask. And that’s before you even fill many of the intervening weeks with some of the most challenging mandatory 1000-level events on the schedule. Now, introduce a return to red clay after Wimbledon for the Paris Olympics, and we’ve got a new level of schedule insanity. But it’s come at a physical cost for the players, who are feeling more battered than usual. The players who skipped the Olympics this year might have a slight advantage, but nobody is looking fresh coming into this year’s U.S. Open. Does that mean winners find a way to win? Or does it mean a dark horse or two might find their way through?
2) Can Coco Gauff defend her title? Let’s face it. It’s been a disappointing summer by the standards Gauff has set for herself. Since losing in the semifinals of Roland-Garros to Iga Swiatek, she has an 8-5 record. That includes a 1-2 record on hard courts leading up to the U.S. Open — and those two losses were to players outside the top 20. Not playing her best tennis coupled with the very real pressure of having to defend 2000 points from her sole major title is a tough combination. Brad Gilbert should be able to help her navigate some of those dynamics, but it’s not at all clear they have the best rapport at the moment.
3) Will an American win the U.S. Open this year? Win? That’s hard to say. But there are five American men and five American women in the top 20 for the first time since 1996, which gives the U.S. the best statistical chances it’s had in decades. Unfortunately, some of the best tennis players from the U.S. will get knocked out right away thanks to some all-American match-ups in the first round (more on that below). In terms of what to watch for, it’s easy to focus on the top-ranked players like Coco Gauff, Jessica Pegula, Tommy Paul, and Taylor Fritz. But look closely at those who are coming into New York with momentum: Frances Tiafoe, Sebastian Korda, and Emma Navarro. And don’t be shocked if some players like Taylor Townsend, Alex Michelsen, Danielle Collins, Ben Shelton, or Brandon Nakashima come up with a surprise or two.
The Draws
It’s been a topsy-turvy summer with the Olympics throwing a wrench into the schedules of many of the top players, so it’s a little difficult to know if the majority of the seedings will hold up. But let’s take a look at the quarterfinal match-ups to see who is where in the draw.
Women’s quarterfinal projections:
1 Iga Swiatek vs. 6 Jessica Pegula
4 Elena Rybakina vs. 5 Jasmine Paolini
8 Barbora Krejcikova vs. 3 Coco Gauff
7 Qinwen Zheng vs. 2 Aryna Sabalenka
Men’s quarterfinal projections:
1 Jannik Sinner vs. 5 Daniil Medvedev
3 Carlos Alcaraz vs. 7 Hubert Hurkacz
8 Casper Ruud vs. 4 Alexander Zverev
6 Andrey Rublev vs. 2 Novak Djokovic
View the full women’s draw and the men’s draw.
Unfortunate First Rounds
Whether it’s a rough draw for the home crowd, fellow countrypeople battling, or fan favorites facing off, here are some first-round matches that we simply wish weren’t happening.
In the women’s draw:
- Danielle Collins vs. Caroline Dolehide
- Emma Raducanu vs. Sofia Kenin
- Shelby Rogers vs. Jessica Pegula
- Jelena Ostapenko vs. Naomi Osaka
- Karolina Muchova vs. Katie Volynets
- Bianca Andreescu vs. Jasmine Paolini
- Martina Trevisan vs. Taylor Townsend
- Qinwen Zheng vs. Amanda Anisimova
- Madison Keys vs. Karolina Siniakova
In the men’s draw:
- Jannik Sinner vs. Mackenzie McDonald
- Eliot Spizzirri vs. Alex Michelsen
- Arthur Fils vs. Learner Tien
- Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. Thanasi Kokkinakis
- Zhizhen Zhang vs. Jack Draper
- Corentin Moutet vs. Sebastian Korda
- Alex de Minaur vs. Marco Giron
- Zach Svajda vs. Matteo Arnaldi
- Gael Monfils vs. Diego Schwartzman
- Holger Rune vs. Brandon Nakashima
- Reilly Opelka vs. Lorenzo Musetti
- Ben Shelton vs. Dominic Thiem
- Aleksandar Kovacevic vs. Frances Tiafoe
Get the order of play each day right here.
Who got the U.S. Open Wild Cards?
Women’s Singles Wild Cards
Americans Amanda Anisimova, McCartney Kessler, Alexa Noel, and Iva Jovic received wild cards into the U.S. Open. Former champions Naomi Osaka and Bianca Andreescu also received main draw wild cards, as did Chloe Paquet of France and Taylah Preston of Australia as part of reciprocal agreements.
Men’s Singles Wild Cards
Americans Chris Eubanks, Matthew Forbes, Zach Svajda, and Learner Tien received wild cards into the U.S. Open. Former champions Dominic Thiem and Stan Wawrinka also received wild cards from tournament organizers, as did Alexandre Muller of France and Tristan Schoolkate of Australia as part of reciprocal agreements.
Women’s Doubles Wild Cards
Robin Montgomery and Clervie Ngounoue (USA), Tyra Caterina Grant and Iva Jovic (USA), Jessie Aney and Jessica Failla (USA) Hailey Baptiste and Whitney Osuigwe (USA), Carmen Corley and Ivana Corley (USA), McCartney Kessler and Sabrina Santamaria (USA), Anna Rogers and Alana Smith (USA)
Men’s Doubles Wild Cards
Mackenzie McDonald and Alex Michelsen (USA), Robert Cash and JJ Tracy (USA), Nikita Filin and Alexander Razeghi (USA), Tristan Boyer and Emilio Nava (USA), Christian Harrison and Vasil Kirkov (USA), Mitchell Krueger and Reese Stadler (USA), Ryan Seggerman and Patrik Trhac (USA)
Read, Watch, Listen
A few things to get you in the mood:
- Matt Futterman and Scott McIntyre go deep on Pompey Park, the public courts that made Coco Gauff a champion.
- Andy Roddick and Jon Wertheim tear the U.S. Open draws apart on Served.
- A history of Black Excellence in tennis — and how it’s changed the culture of our sport.
- At The New Yorker, Gerald Marzorati takes a look at why Italy has as many top 40 men as the United States as we roll into the U.S. Open.
- Frances Tiafoe sits down for a Q&A with Complex and makes it clear his standards for the U.S. Open are high, very high.
Who to Follow
- Follow brilliant emcee and social media genius Blair Henley on Instagram and X for the nuggets quite literally nobody else has.
- The U.S. Open Instagram account follows the players when they’re not on the court.
- When it’s all over, there’s no doubt you’ll want to see what Daria Kasatkina puts together on her YouTube channel, What The Vlog.
- And we can talk all things Wimbledon if you follow Court Theory on Twitter!
