NEW YORK — The 2026 US Open main draw starts Sunday, with several big storylines set to unfold at the final Grand Slam of the year.
Serena and Alcaraz In, Sinner Out
Serena Williams is back and officially competing at the US Open for the first time since she ostensibly retired at the event in 2022. Williams competed in the mixed doubles event Tuesday with Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2–ranked men’s player, who returned from a four-month absence.
Williams and Alcaraz won their round-of-16 match against Erin Routliffe and Lloyd Glasspool. It was Williams’s first win since pairing with Victoria Mboko at the HSBC Championships in June, which was also her first professional match since returning. But Williams and Alcaraz were eliminated immediately afterward in the quarterfinals by Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli.
However, the US Open crowd will be able to see Williams again as she has received a doubles wild card with her sister, Venus. At the Cincinnati Open earlier this month, the duo played their first doubles match together since the 2022 US Open, losing in three sets to Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.
