The women’s field for the 2026 US Open is taking shape, with Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek and Alex Eala all among the headline names and the seed list now set.

The singles draws will be announced on Thursday 27 August at 12pm local time, with main draw play at Flushing Meadows beginning on Sunday. The seeding cutoff came on Monday 24 August, meaning the WTA Rankings will not change again before the tournament starts. As a result, this week’s WTA 500 event in Monterrey will not affect the seedings for the season’s final major.

The women’s singles draw will feature 128 players, with 32 seeded.

Sabalenka, the defending champion, will be the top seed for the eighth straight Grand Slam and is chasing a fifth major title. Behind her, there is some uncertainty around Rybakina, who has not yet practiced at the US Open after retiring injured in her Cincinnati quarter-final last week. For now, she is still projected to take the No 2 spot.

Jessica Pegula and Gauff, who met in the Cincinnati Open final, are seeded third and fourth. Mirra Andreeva, Linda Noskova, Karolina Muchova and Swiatek fill the remainder of the top eight.

Eala is projected to be seeded 17th, which would be the highest Grand Slam seeding of any player from the Philippines. If Rybakina or another top 16 seed withdraws before Thursday’s draw, Eala would move into the top 16.

Seven American women are included among the seeds: Pegula, Gauff, Amanda Anisimova, Iva Jovic, Madison Keys, Emma Navarro and Ann Li.

Projected seed list: Sabalenka, Rybakina, Pegula, Gauff, Andreeva, Noskova, Muchova, Swiatek, Elina Svitolina, Anisimova, Marta Kostyuk, Belinda Bencic, Naomi Osaka, Jovic, Diana Shnaider, Sorana Cirstea, Eala, Ekaterina Alexandrova, Jasmine Paolini, Maja Chwalinska, Anna Kalinskaya, Keys, Elise Mertens, Anastasia Potapova, Marie Bouzkova, Navarro, Barbora Krejcikova, Sara Bejlek, Ann Li, Jelena Ostapenko, Leylah Fernandez and Maria Sakkari.

Roger Federer made a return to the US Open during its Opening Week, taking part in practice sessions and exhibition matches with Andy Roddick, Andre Agassi and John McEnroe.

On Tuesday, 25 August, Federer beat Roddick 6-3 on Arthur Ashe Stadium before joining a doubles match with the three Grand Slam champions. He also spent time on court with ATP player Lorenzo Musetti as he prepared for his appearances at Flushing Meadows.

Although Federer has ruled out a full-time comeback to the ATP Tour, his level has continued to draw attention after that practice session. In an interview with Sky Sports Italia, Fabio Fognini relayed what Musetti’s coach, Simone Tartarini, told him after the Italian trained with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.

“I haven’t spoken to Musetti yet, but Simone Tartarini (Musetti’s coach) sent me some videos of yesterday’s practice session,” said the Italian.

“He told me that in his opinion, Federer, over a single match, would still beat at least 80 of the 100 best players in the world. The level has dropped.”

Federer has not competed since the 2022 season, when he officially retired at the Laver Cup, the event he helped create. Injuries, especially to his knee, limited him in the closing stages of his career and kept him away from many of the biggest tournaments.

Even so, his record remains formidable. He retired with 103 ATP Tour titles, including 20 Masters titles, along with an Olympic gold medal in doubles, the 2014 Davis Cup title and three Hopman Cup crowns for Switzerland.

Later this week, Federer will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. He enters in his first year of eligibility and will join Justine Henin, Marat Safin, Lleyton Hewitt and Stefan Edberg.

The ceremony runs from 27 to 29 August, and Federer is also scheduled to play a match during the weekend, although the opponent has not yet been confirmed. That match will be on grass, which would make it his first on the surface since his Wimbledon quarter-final loss to Hubert Hurkacz in 2021.

Elena Rybakina has moved to the front of the Race to the WTA Finals after a strong swing through Toronto and Cincinnati, with the US Open set to begin later this week. Aryna Sabalenka, who had been the player to chase, now sits behind her, while Alex Eala is placed 15th in the standings.

Rybakina, the world No 2, finished as runner-up at the Canadian Open and then went on to reach the quarter-finals at the Cincinnati Open. Sabalenka, by contrast, went out in the fourth round at both tournaments.

The US Open begins on Sunday 30 August and is the fourth and final Grand Slam of the 2026 season.

The route to the WTA Finals is straightforward. The eight women who earn the most ranking points during 2026 will qualify for the season-ending championship, which will be staged at Indian Wells in the United States from 8 to 15 November. If a Grand Slam champion from the current year finishes between ninth and 20th in the Race, that player receives the eighth and final qualifying place.

The event was originally scheduled for Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, after the 2024 and 2025 editions were held there, but the venue has now been switched to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Rybakina is also the defending WTA Finals champion. Last year she collected a record-breaking $5,235,000 for winning the title.

At the top of the latest standings, Rybakina leads with 5,492 points. Sabalenka is second on 5,185, just ahead of Mirra Andreeva on 5,184. Jessica Pegula has moved up to fourth after reaching the Cincinnati final, while Coco Gauff is fifth following her title run there. Elina Svitolina, Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova complete the current qualification spots.

Below the cut line, Marta Kostyuk is ninth and Iga Swiatek is 10th after her title in Toronto and semi-final showing in Cincinnati brought her back into the race. Eala, who has won eight matches across Washington DC, Toronto and Cincinnati, remains 15th with 2,061 points.