The fourth and final Grand Slam of the year is approaching, with the US Open getting under way on Sunday – and there is comprehensive coverage across the BBC.
The world’s top players will gather in New York where, in addition to one of the sport’s major prizes, record prize money is on line.
From the return of entertainer Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles to an eagerly anticipated doubles reunion for Serena and Venus Williams, here is all you need to know.
The US Open main draw begins on Sunday, 30 August.
The 15-day hard court tournament concludes with the men’s singles final on Sunday, 13 September, with the women’s a day before.
Qualifying for the men’s and women’s singles events started on Monday and concludes on Thursday.
The mixed doubles competition, which became a standalone two-day competition in 2025, took place earlier in the week.
Czech pair Jakub Mensik and Karolina Muchova walked away with the title and $1m in prize money.
Spain’s Alcaraz defeated Italian rival Jannik Sinner 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 to win the US Open men’s singles title last year.
The women’s singles title was won by Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, who beat American Amanda Anisimova 6-3 7-6 (7-3).
The men’s doubles competition was won by Spain’s Marcel Granollers and Argentine Horacio Zeballos, while Canada’s Gabriela Dabrowski and New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe won the women’s event.
Japan’s Tokito Oda and Yui Kamiji won the men’s and women’s wheelchair singles titles respectively, while Dutchman Niels Vink took the men’s quad wheelchair title.
The BBC Sport website will bring you live text commentaries, reports, features and analysis across the fortnight.
BBC Radio 5 Live Sport will provide daily commentaries live from the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York across BBC Sounds.
Tennis correspondent Russell Fuller will be joined by fellow commentators Katie Smith, Abigail Johnson and David Law, plus summarisers Annabel Croft, Pat Cash, Daniela Hantuchova, Mark Woodforde and Leon Smith.
There will also be podcasts recapping the biggest stories from of the tournament – just search ‘tennis’ on BBC Sounds to find it.
Arthur Fery will be making his US Open main-draw debut [Getty Images]
Two of Britain’s big hopes in the singles competitions – Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper – have announced they will not compete at the US Open.
Former US Open winner Raducanu is continuing her recovery from a stress fracture.
The 23-year-old sustained the injury during the grass-court season and was forced to make a late decision to pull out of Wimbledon.
Meanwhile, Draper, a semi-finalist in 2024, has withdrawn because of the long-term arm injury that has stalled his progress.
The 24-year-old former British number one was ranked inside the world’s top five when he suffered bone bruising in his left serving arm and has played just 16 matches in the past 12 months.
British number one Cameron Norrie arrives in good form after reaching the semi-finals in Los Cabos and fourth round in Montreal.
He is joined in the men’s draw by Wimbledon semi-finalist Arthur Fery and Jan Choinski.
Jacob Fearnley, Toby Samuel and Harry Wendelken are one win away from joining them after winning their first two qualifying matches.
Katie Boulter is in the women’s draw, while Heather Watson and Harriet Dart will go head-to-head in a bid to join her in the final round of qualifying.
Carlos Alcaraz (right) beat Jannik Sinner in last year’s US Open final [Getty Images]
The wait for the return of the exciting rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner goes on.
Sinner and Alcaraz produced a clean sweep of the Grand Slam titles in both 2024 and 2025, winning four majors apiece in a duopoly which has morphed into a generational duel.
But the pair have not played at the same Grand Slam since January’s Australian Open.
Alcaraz was forced to miss the French Open and Wimbledon because of a wrist problem, while a knee issue has ruled Sinner out of the US Open.
Sinner has not competed since he lifted his fifth career Grand Slam singles title by beating Alexander Zverev at the All England Club in July.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, made his return to competitive action alongside American great Serena in the mixed doubles competition in New York on Tuesday, reaching the quarter-finals.
Novak Djokovic will be bidding for a standalone record 25th Grand Slam title, while a host of players will be looking to take advantage of Sinner’s absence.
In the women’s event, world number one Sabalenka is aiming to become the first woman since Serena Williams in 2014 to win the title three years in a row.
However, Sabalenka is in shaky form, with her top ranking also under threat.
Elena Rybakina – who beat Sabalenka to win the Australian Open in January – will become number one if she reaches the semi-finals regardless of other results.
Rybakina can become number one without playing a match provided Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff do not win the title.
One of the big occasions at this year’s tournament will be the return of the Williams sisters in a Grand Slam doubles competition.
Serena and Venus have been given a wildcard for the women’s doubles, and 46-year-old Venus will also play singles in New York.
The draws for the men’s and women’s singles competitions at the US Open will take place on Thursday, 27 August.
The top seeds in the men’s draw are:
- Alexander ZverevEnjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.
- Carlos Alcaraz
Felix Auger-Aliassime
Novak Djokovic
Flavio Cobolli
Alex de Minaur
Daniil Medvedev
Ben Shelton
Taylor Fritz
Arthur Fils
The top seeds in the women’s draw are:
- Aryna Sabalenka
Elena Rybakina
Jessica Pegula
Coco Gauff
Mirra Andreeva
Linda Noskova
Karolina Muchova
Iga Swiatek
Elina Svitolina
Amanda Anisimova
The US Open is this year offering the biggest prize fund in Grand Slam history with a total of $108m (£79.2m) up for grabs – marking a 20% increase on last year.
The singles’ champions will receive $5.5m (£4.03m) each in a 10% increase on 2025.
First-round losers will take home $140,000 (£102,667) – which is $30,000 and 27% more than last year.
The prize pool includes a $2m (£1.47m) contribution to a welfare fund, which leading players have been demanding from all the Grand Slams.
The mixed doubles took place from 24-26 August.
Muchova and Mensik paired up for the first time to win the mixed doubles title, beating Flavio Cobolli and Belinda Bencic in the final.
The tournament’s revamped mixed doubles format has attracted criticism for favouring the allure of the sport’s top singles stars at the expense of established doubles players.
But the crowds turned out and produced a terrific atmosphere for the tournament’s headline act, Alcaraz and Williams, with about 15,000 people watching inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
The women’s doubles begins on Thursday, 3 September, and the men’s event gets under way on Friday, 4 September.
30 August-1 September: Men’s and women’s singles first round
2-3 September: Men’s and women’s singles second round
4-5 September: Men’s and women’s singles third round
4 September: Women’s doubles begins
6-7 September: Men’s and women’s singles fourth round
8 September: Wheelchair doubles begins
8-9 September: Men’s and women’s singles quarter-finals
9 September: Wheelchair singles begins
10 September: Women’s singles semi-finals
11 September: Men’s singles semi-finals, wheelchair doubles finals
12 September: Women’s singles final, men’s doubles final, wheelchair singles finals
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