The top-ranked players have a good shot to win it all, but it is not certain. They are close, all of them, when in May through August, they took it, at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Canada, Cincinnati and more.
Here are 16 players to can advance into the second week at the US Open:
The men, top 8:
Carlos Alcaraz has won it before, running side to side, and nailing it into the corners. However, he just came back, with his injury, but for sure. He will push it. Alcaraz is the favorite hands down.
Alexander Zverev finally won a Grand Slam at Roland Garros. He was very patient, and powerful. However, he could be tired, yet when he gets to Flushing Meadows, he will start be ready.
Felix Auger-Aliassime rose up in the summer, pushing it very deep and being creative. He can advance with a game that is working because he is more mature.
Novak Djokovic is a four-time US Open champ. But now he is aging, slowly. He is thoughtful, and his backhand is the best ever, but now he is a little bit slow, so he will have to try to win matches quickly.
The American Ben Shelton won Canada, and he was totally. He went to Cincinnati, and lost, early, and he was very frustrated. However, he has improved so much, with his terrific first serve and his forehand. He really wants to play excellently in front of the crowd at night matches.
Taylor Fritz reached here in the final at 2024, and he looked good, but he could not win it against Sinner (who is injured, now). Fritz can be a blast, but he does get ticked off, and overhit.
Talk about Learner Tien, the American, who played amazing ball, in the summer, with some very fast feet and powerful strokes. He is rising quickly and challenging all comers.
Arthur Fils also had a fine summer, going deep with a variety of shots. He won in Canada. He really likes to mix it up, and return, too. He needs to put it away winners at the net.
The women, top 8:
Aryn Sabalenka is No. 1 and over the past three years and she can be so darn good. Her forehand and her backhand are so strong, deep, and she will go for it immediately. However, over the past couple months, she went down slightly, with a decent amount of errors. She still is the favored.
Elena Rybakina believes that when she is close to the lines, then she will be ready to attack. There are times when she is trying to hit the ball to fool them, but she can also hit it short. This time, Rybakina will make an effort.
American Coco Gauff, who won Cincinnati over her friend, Jesse Pegula. Her backhand is tremendous, and she also likes to go and put it away. However, this year, she has been good, but not great, until now. If she wants to win the US Open, her forehand and her return have to be more harmonious.
Pegula is so fit with her forehand and her backhand. She reached the final last year, but it wasn’t good enough against Sabalenka. Pegula is very smart, but at times, it can be too short. She has never won a Slam, so in September, she will have another chance to slap it.
The 19-year old Mirra Andreeva won Roland Garros, and she made everything, in seven matches. She was dogged, and she went for it all the time. But after that, she went down, and now, she has to regroup in New York.
Linda Noskova came up in the summer, winning Wimbledon, which was impressive and thoughtful. The Czech goes back and forth and needs to be more patient. She is young, so she is getting better each month.
Iga Swiatek has won with six Grand Slams, so clearly, she was tremendous. She is so fast, can clip it with her potent backhand and her forehand. But she can lose, when she isn’t hitting the ball where she wants too. Swiatek can be great, and then mediocre.
Amanda Anisimova has gone into the third sets this year, many times, very close, or she can miss it a lot. However, she can be will go deep if she can balance winners with unforced errors.