The 2026 US Open entry list has been published, and Emma Raducanu is included as she targets a return from injury at the final Grand Slam of the season. The most notable absentee is Victoria Mboko.

Raducanu has not played on the WTA Tour since finishing runner-up at the Queen’s Club Championship. A stress fracture in her right shin forced her out of the Nottingham Open, Eastbourne Open and Wimbledon, and she was later ruled out of the WTA 1000 events in Canada and Cincinnati as well.

Her place on the entry list does not guarantee a start, though it does suggest she remains in contention for Flushing Meadows. The same uncertainty surrounded Wimbledon, where she held a press conference on the Sunday before the tournament and said she hoped to play the following day before withdrawing hours later.

If she does compete in New York, match sharpness could be an issue. Unless she plays the Monterrey Open, the final warm-up event from 23-29 August, she would reach the US Open without hard-court match practice.

Mboko will miss a second straight major because of a knee injury. The world No 12 picked up the problem during her opening singles match at Queen’s Club, then withdrew from Wimbledon and will also miss her title defence at the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati event.

Hailey Baptiste remains sidelined too after damaging her anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in her left knee during the second round of the French Open. That setback came after she reached the Madrid Open semi-final and climbed to No 25 in the WTA Rankings.

Varvara Gracheva is the other top-100 player absent, with an ACL injury sustained in training in March.

At the top of the draw, Aryna Sabalenka heads the field and is followed by Elena Rybakina, with the rest of the top 10 also present. Anastasia Zakharova is the final direct entry by ranking at world No 102, while Ella Seidel is first alternate. Five players have used a special ranking: Lois Boisson, Irina-Camelia Begu, Aoi Ito, Jil Teichmann and Mananchaya Sawangkaew.

Alex Eala is attracting attention for more than her results, with her profile growing both on court and away from it.

The 21-year-old is coming off the biggest breakthrough of her career at Wimbledon, where she reached the fourth round and beat defending champion Iga Swiatek in straight sets on the way there. That run has only intensified the interest around her, especially in her native Philippines, where support for her remains intense.

During her Wimbledon campaign, thousands of fans filled stadiums for watch-along parties, underlining how widely followed she already is at home. That support is now spreading beyond the Philippines and into the wider Asian tennis scene.

Before her scheduled appearance at the Mubadala DC Open in Washington next week, Eala posted a message on Instagram marking the end of her Manila visit. She wrote, “That’s a wrap on Manila.

“Maraming salamat sa pagtanggap sa akin mga kababayan (Thank you for giving me a warm welcome, fellow Filipinos)! Each and every one of your stories has touched me on a profound level.

“I leave with a refreshed memory of what I carry when I’m out there playing tennis. And wow is it a privilege to be part of something bigger than myself. Never been prouder to represent home.”

Since arriving in the United States, Eala has also appeared in a glamour shoot with Metro Magazine. An extract from the accompanying piece described how she handles fans even when she is tired or not feeling particularly sociable, noting that she is fully aware of the effort supporters make to follow her.

The story also drew praise for her fashion choices. On the Instagram post, Coco Gauff commented, “Gorgeous”, while Eva Lys wrote, “Just died”. The post was also liked by Chris Eubanks and Victoria Mboko.

Eala, who is now ranked a career-high 28, will hope to carry that momentum into Washington. For her, every serve and rally will again be followed closely by a fan base that continues to grow.

The Washington Open launches the 2026 North American hard-court swing, but the women’s event has already been shaped by several notable withdrawals.

The WTA 500 tournament in Washington will be played at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center, beginning on Monday 27 July and finishing on Sunday 2 August. The women’s main draw at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, the event’s sponsorship name, includes 28 players.

Leylah Fernandez returns as the defending women’s singles champion in the U.S. Capital after beating Anna Kalinskaya in the 2025 final.

The original women’s entry list included eight players ranked inside the WTA top 20, but three of them have now withdrawn. Marta Kostyuk, Jasmine Paolini and Iva Jovic, who would have been seeded third, fifth and sixth, are all out of the tournament.

Paolini has explained her decision as a response to a foot injury, and she will also miss the WTA 1000 event in Toronto. On Instagram, Paolini wrote: “Unfortunately, I’ve decided to withdraw from Washington and Toronto so I can give my foot some extra time to rest.

“I’m sorry I won’t be there, and I wish everyone involved two amazing tournaments. Thank you, as always, for all your love and support.”

Paolini, a two-time Grand Slam finalist, reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon earlier this month.

Katerina Siniakova and Jaqueline Cristian are the other players to withdraw from the field.

Even with the absences, five top 20 players remain in the Washington line-up. The projected top eight seeds are Jessica Pegula, Elina Svitolina, Naomi Osaka, Diana Shnaider, Anna Kalinskaya, Madison Keys, Leylah Fernandez and Emma Navarro.