The USTA announced a prize money pool of $108 million for the 2026 U.S. Open on Thursday, representing a 20% increase over last year’s record purse.
Not all players received the same bump. The men’s and women’s singles players who lose in the first round will earn $140,000, up 27% from last year. The year-over-year changes for each subsequent round of the main draw are less than the previous round, all the way up to the runner-up payout of $2.8 million and the winner’s prize of $5.5 million, which are only 12% and 10% increases from 2025, respectively.
Players who lose in the qualifying draw will see roughly a 15% raise from last year.
Generally, the share of U.S. Open prize money that goes to the top players has declined in the past decade. Ten years ago, for instance, the men’s and women’s singles winners received 18.3% of all payouts that went to singles players; that number is down to 12.9% in 2026. Payouts for the runner-up and semifinal losers have also declined relative to the overall purse in the past decade.
This matches the changes at the other Grand Slams, where increases to early-round prize money are designed to assist lower-ranked players who may struggle to pay expenses.
