Overview
- Play starts at Flushing Meadows on Sunday, with Jessica Pegula opening Arthur Ashe Stadium and Novak Djokovic scheduled for the night session.
- Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will make his singles return after a four-month right-wrist layoff and will face Roman Safiullin in the first round.
- World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has withdrawn with a knee injury, removing a top seed and increasing unpredictability in the men's draw.
- Aryna Sabalenka arrives as the two-time defending champion but has struggled in recent hard-court events, putting her hold on the WTA No. 1 ranking at risk.
- The tournament carries a reported record $108 million purse and features multiple realistic contenders—Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic chasing a 25th major, Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz and others—making for an unusually open fortnight.