As the ATP and WTA Tours continue their North American hardcourt buildup, attention is shifting toward the season’s final Grand Slam at the US Open. The Cincinnati Open is in progress, and many of the leading names in both draws are trying to find the right level before Flushing Meadows.

Even so, the entry lists are already taking shape without several notable players. Nine players have withdrawn from the tournament so far, with eight of those absences coming from the WTA Tour.

Emma Raducanu, Hailey Baptiste and Victoria Mboko are among the most prominent players not set to appear in New York. Mboko and Baptiste both dealt with serious knee injuries earlier in the year, so their absence was expected. Raducanu, however, has also been ruled out through injury. Her stress fracture, which sidelined her at Wimbledon, is serious enough to keep her out of the entire North American hardcourt swing.

She is joined on the list by Ajla Tomljanovic, Varvara Gracheva, Irina-Camelia Begu, Jacqueline Cristian and Laura Siegemund.

WTA Tour star’s who have withdrawn from the US Open

Victoria Mboko (world No 12) > replaced by Mananchaya Sawangkaew

Hailey Baptiste (world No 32) > replaced by Kaitlin Quevedo

Emma Raducanu (world No 49) > replaced by Anna Blinkova

Ajla Tomljanovic (world No 95) > replaced by Ella Seidel

Varvara Gracheva (world No 102) > replaced by Anastasia Zakharova

Irina-Camelia Begu (world No 472) > replaced by Elsa Jacquemot

Jaqueline Cristian (world No 41) > replaced by Darja Vidmanova

Laura Siegemund (world No 89) > replaced by Nadia Podoroska

On the ATP side, only Sebastian Korda has officially withdrawn. The American has not played since the Miami Open and confirmed at the start of August that he had undergone back surgery.

“It’s been 4 months off-court managing pain in my back with a lot of pressure on my sciatica. After different treatments we decided to have a swift surgery that has finally relieved the pain. What a relief,” said Korda in a social media post.

“Massive thank you to Dr. Qureshi and his team. Now it is time to recover, heal and get back to work. Thanks everyone for the support. See ya’ll soon!”

ATP Tour star’s who have withdrawn from the US Open

Sebastian Korda (world No 50) > replaced by Aleksandar Vukic

Korda is the only confirmed men’s withdrawal for now, but uncertainty remains around several others. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are still considered doubts, with Alcaraz racing to recover from a wrist injury that has kept him out for five months. Sinner is managing a knee injury and has not played any North American events leading into the Slam.

Holger Rune could also miss the event as he works his way back from an ACL injury suffered at the Stockholm Open in October last year. He has not withdrawn, though. “I see conclusions on me withdrawing from US Open,” he wrote recently on social media. “I did not withdraw. I am working super hard everyday and as soon as I am ready, I am ready. I hope it will be US Open.”

Rune and Alcaraz have been training together in Murcia ahead of the tournament, leaving open the possibility that both could still compete.

Ben Shelton’s run in Cincinnati ended before it ever found momentum, as the American fell in straight sets to Jaime Faria in the second round. The defeat came only days after Shelton had wrapped up the Canadian Open title in Montreal for the second year in a row, a result that had underlined just how sharp his form had been entering the North American hardcourt swing.

That Montreal victory was built on a clean, dominant week. Shelton beat Brandon Nakashima, Learner Tien, Jakub Mensik, and Joao Fonseca on his way to the Masters crown, and he did so without dropping a set. Against that backdrop, his quick exit in Cincinnati stood out as one of the more unexpected results of the week.

It also renewed attention on a long-running issue around ATP Tour scheduling. The back-to-back placement of the Canadian Open and the Cincinnati Open continues to place players in an awkward position, particularly after deep runs the previous week. Shelton’s loss marked the fourth time in five years that the reigning Canadian Open champion has gone out in the opening match at Cincinnati.

The pattern has been clear across recent seasons: Pablo Carreno Busta exited in the opening round in 2022, Jannik Sinner did the same in 2023, Alexei Popyrin followed in 2024, and Shelton reached the quarter-finals in 2025 before his 2026 first-round disappointment. The sequence has only strengthened the argument that the schedule leaves little room for recovery between two demanding Masters events.

With the calendar becoming increasingly crowded, and with two-week Masters formats adding to the strain, strong performances in both tournaments have become even harder to sustain. Rafael Nadal remains the last player to win both events, doing so in 2013. Before that, only Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, Pat Rafter, Eddie Dibbs, and Cliff Richey achieved the same feat.

For that reason, the call is simple: if the ATP Tour wants to give top players a fair chance to compete in both tournaments, it needs to place a week between them. Without that break, the North American hardcourt swing risks producing more withdrawals, more frustration, and more results like Shelton’s in Cincinnati.

Carlos Alcaraz’s comeback schedule is still unsettled, even with his name on the US Open entry list.

The world No. 3 is racing the clock to recover from the wrist injury he picked up at the Barcelona Open, and his fitness remains the central issue ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season. He was supposed to appear at the Cincinnati Open before heading to New York, but he was not ready in time for that event.

Although he has been training at a high intensity in the build-up to Flushing Meadows, there is still a possibility that he will miss the US Open because he has not yet reached full fitness.

According to MARCA, Alcaraz “will reappear at the Laver Cup if he doesn’t play at the US Open”, though he has not withdrawn from the Grand Slam. That tournament is scheduled for September 25-27, which would extend his absence from competition by around three more weeks.

He is already confirmed to miss Spain’s Davis Cup tie against Chile, with the squad already chosen, making the Laver Cup the next possible event on his calendar. Alcaraz has been a regular presence at the competition for Team Europe, having played in the last two editions before 2026.

His record at the event includes a Team Europe title in 2024, when he beat Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz in singles. Team World turned the tables in 2025 in San Francisco, with Fritz gaining revenge by defeating the Spaniard in straight sets.

This year’s Laver Cup will be staged in London at the O2 Arena, and Alcaraz has made clear how much he values the event. Speaking last year, he said: “I will try to bring positive energy to the team. I want to help Team Europe defend the Laver Cup.

“I love that tournament, and being teammates with players who are usually rivals is something very special. I will give my best, and I’m very excited about the event.”

Team Europe will also include Rafael Jodar, Jakub Mensik, Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev, and Flavio Cobolli, with Yannick Noah and Tim Henman leading the side. Team World, coached by Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter, will feature Shelton, Fritz, Alex de Minaur, Alexander Bublik, Learner Tien, and Tommy Paul.