Carlos Alcaraz has been put forward as a contender for a major haul in the coming years after returning to competition at the US Open following more than four months away with a wrist issue.

His decision to come back at Flushing Meadows raised questions because he had also skipped Cincinnati, and there was clear concern that heading straight into best-of-five-set tennis might prove too much. Instead, the early signs suggest the Spaniard is fit again and already moving toward his best form before the 2026 season is over.

Although Ben Shelton’s New York run ended in the quarter-finals, the seven-time major winner has still drawn strong backing from Rick Macci. Serena Williams’ former coach believes Alcaraz can lift at least two Grand Slams, and possibly three, in 2027. Macci also feels the 23-year-old will be even stronger mentally, a prospect that would not be welcome for world No 1 Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and the rest of the field.

Macci wrote, ” The Spanish Magician, barring injury in 2027, will take another step towards rare air and bag at least 2, maybe 3 Grand Slams. What I saw mentally from him at the U.S. WIDE OPEN was another level of you cannot make this up.

“From adversity and fear, you find another gear from ear to ear. He showed me and the world more superpowers after not being in combat for 139 days.

“Most observers do not understand or appreciate what he did and how he did it. Forget the winning and losing as that to me is a by product. Next year he will be match tougher and even better mentally and locked in deeper and rougher.”

Alcaraz’s absence has pushed him down to third in the ATP Tour rankings and fourth in the Race. He sits more than 4,500 points behind US Open champion Zverev in the rankings, while Zverev and Sinner are expected to battle for year-end No 1.

Zverev has won two majors this year, helped by the fact that Sinner and Alcaraz were either missing or did not reach the final. Novak Djokovic remains a factor, but with the Serbian now down to 11 in the rankings, turning 40 next year and facing increasing health concerns, his major prospects are in question.

Sinner is scheduled to return after a knee injury that ruled him out of this year’s US Open. If Macci’s forecast proves accurate and Alcaraz collects three majors in 2027, the remainder of the tour will have a major challenge on its hands.

Iva Jovic made one of the clearest moves of the week on the WTA Tour, successfully retaining her Guadalajara Open title in Mexico while Emma Raducanu continued to fall in the rankings.

After the demanding US Open, most of the leading names stepped away from competition. Marta Kostyuk was the lone top-10 player in action, and the world No 10 reached the quarter-finals in Guadalajara before exiting. That result left her ranking unchanged. Elena Rybakina, meanwhile, begins a second week at No 1 on Monday after moving past Aryna Sabalenka following her US Open title run. Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva round out the top five.

The biggest shift inside the top 20 belongs to Jovic. The 18-year-old collected 451 points for her title run in Mexico and climbed three places to a career-best No 13. She is now within touching distance of Belinda Bencic in 12th, and her progress suggests the top 10 is close.

Jovic’s advance pushes Diana Shnaider, Victoria Mboko and Sorana Cirstea down one spot each, while Naomi Osaka, Alex Eala, Elise Mertens and Jasmine Paolini hold steady in the top 20.

Further back, the largest gains came from Guadalajara. Runner-up Peyton Stearns rose 24 places to No 36, which also puts her eight positions above her previous career high of No 28. Cristina Bucsa climbed nine spots to No 35 after reaching the semi-finals, while Ludmilla Samsonova moved up 12 places to No 38. Magdalena Fręch, another quarter-finalist, is up 12 to No 45, and Sloane Stephens jumped 34 places to No 135 after also making the last eight.

The SP Open final was pushed to Monday, with Kaitlin Quevedo and Nadia Podoroska set to meet for a maiden title. Quevedo is already up 14 spots to No 91, while Podoroska has surged 117 places to No 200.

Elsewhere, Paula Badosa is up 13 to No 56 after reaching the semi-finals in Brazil, and Anna Blinkova is up eight to No 86. Among the main fallers are Katerina Siniakova, Lilli Tagger, Emma Raducanu and Maya Joint.

WTA Top 20 remains led by Elena Rybakina, followed by Aryna Sabalenka, Jessica Pegula, Coco Gauff and Mirra Andreeva.

Alexandra Eala is ready to return to competition for the first time since her hard-fought US Open third-round loss to Iva Jovic, and the next stretch of her season could lift her profile even further as she heads to Singapore.

The Filipina has built notable momentum over recent months. A run to the fourth round at Wimbledon in July was followed by her first WTA Tour title in Washington, a sequence that has pushed her rapidly up the rankings and strengthened the sense that her career is moving into a new phase.

Her growing appeal has travelled well beyond results. In recent months, she has become one of the most discussed players on social media across tennis, with support from fans in the Philippines adding to her rise.

Eala now moves into a busy period. She is due to compete at the Singapore Open in the coming days before representing her country at the Asian Games. If she can go deep in Singapore, her ranking could edge close to a career high.

Her performances in Europe and America have already lifted her into the WTA top 20. A title in Singapore would move her up to No 14, and that would bring her long-term aim of a top-10 breakthrough a little nearer, especially with the WTA 1000 event in Wuhan next month also on the horizon.

As the No 3 seed, she has received a bye into the second round. Her opener will come against either world No 152 Sofia Costoulas or world No 178 Tatiana Prozorova, with Amanda Anisimova a possible opponent later and top seed Mirra Andreeva a potential final rival.

Even so, the season’s most striking moment may still be waiting for later in 2026. Eala is set for an exhibition match against Janice Tjen at the Philippine Arena in Manila on December 8th, where a crowd of 55,000 could turn the event into the biggest tennis attendance ever if the stadium is full.

She will be joined at the exhibition by Manny Pacquiao, Anne Curtis, Piolo Pascual, Julia Barretto, Donny Pangilinan, and Andrea Brillantes.

“Every time I play abroad, I carry the Philippines with me,” said Eala.

“To come home and play in front of our fans will be incredibly special.

“I want this to be a day where we celebrate our love for tennis, our culture and the young players who will take the sport forward.

“And if all of us come together, maybe we can make a little history too.”

Eala is still seeking her first Grand Slam title, but by the end of 2026 she could own the record for the most watched tennis match and further underline her place among the sport’s biggest names.