Aryna Sabalenka enters the US Open at a tense point in her season, with recent results leaving her in a more fragile position than at any stage in the year so far.

The world No 1 has not lifted a trophy since her Miami Open victory in March, and her campaign on clay and grass has been marked by a series of high-profile early defeats on the WTA Tour. That slide has turned this month’s major into something more than a title defense. Sabalenka now needs to win the US Open to protect her place at the top of the rankings, with Jessica Pegula, Elena Rybakina, and Coco Gauff all close behind her.

Johanna Konta has not been persuaded that Sabalenka will recover in time. After following the season closely, the former British number one said on TNT Sports: “I don’t think Sabalenka’s winning it [the US Open ]. It’s because players in the draw believe a bit more right now against here. So when Sabalenka has those lapses, which she does every match.

“I don’t think she’ll be able to get away from them,” continued Konta. “I think what she created for herself was this cushion of being able to have those lapses because I don’t think players were prepared necessarily on the other side of the net.

“I don’t think players believed in those times that they could find a way, so I think she really created a strong image around herself of being relatively unbeatable in certain situations. I think that has really come down a notch since Miami. For me, I don’t think she’s winning [the US Open].”

Sabalenka’s last three tournaments have all ended before the quarter-final stage, with exits at the Cincinnati Open, the Canadian Open, and Wimbledon. That run is especially striking given how strongly she began the season. She reached the Australian Open final, where she lost to Elena Rybakina, then followed that with wins at Indian Wells and the Miami Open.

She is defending the full 2000 ranking points from her 2025 US Open triumph, so anything short of matching that result would leave her vulnerable to the pressure from behind. Even so, the Belarusian has often reserved her best tennis for this event. She won the tournament in 2024 and 2025 and reached the final in 2023, when she lost to Gauff.

Alex Eala enters the US Open carrying more attention than at any Grand Slam in her career so far. Her recent results have transformed the conversation around her, with expectations building around a possible deep run in New York.

The 21-year-old has put together an impressive stretch of form. Her Wimbledon campaign ended in the last 16, and that run included a notable win over defending champion Iga Swiatek. She then added another milestone by winning her first WTA Tour title in Washington, a result that lifted her profile even further.

That momentum now follows her into the final Grand Slam of 2026, where she is set to be one of the notable performers. Given her current standing in the sport, the possibility of night-session matches at the US Open looks increasingly realistic.

A top-10 breakthrough remains one of her key objectives, but that is not likely to be settled in the next two weeks. Eala is currently No 18 in the WTA Rankings, and she has 2,281 points. Even a title in New York would not be enough to move her past Amanda Anisimova, who holds 10th place with 4,533 points.

There is still reason for optimism beyond this tournament. Eala has relatively few points to defend in the coming months, and strong results at the US Open and during the Asian swing could put her in position to finish 2026 around 15th in the rankings. From there, a sustained push next season could bring the top 10 back into view.

US Open ranking points on offer:
Winner – 2,000 points
Runner-up – 1,300 points
Semi-final – 780 points
Quarter-final – 430 points
Round of 16 – 240 points
Third round – 130 points
Second round – 70 points
First round – 10 points

Novak Djokovic already owns a remarkable share of tennis history, yet the 2026 US Open could give him another mark to chase.

The Serbian arrives in New York as the fourth seed, with his bid for a 25th Grand Slam title helped by Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal. Beyond the title race, Djokovic also has a clear statistical target: the all-time record for singles match wins at the US Open.

That benchmark belongs to Jimmy Connors, who won 98 matches at the tournament between 1971 and 1992. Connors also dominated his home major, lifting the trophy five times in nine years from 1974 to 1983.

Djokovic begins this year’s event on 95 US Open victories, placing him three behind Connors and six ahead of Roger Federer, who sits on 89. As a result, a place in the quarter finals would be enough for Djokovic to move to the top of the list.

History strongly supports that outcome. In 19 previous US Open appearances, Djokovic has failed to get beyond the quarter final stage only five times. Two of those exits came early in his first two appearances, in 2005 and 2006, when he was beaten in the third round twice as a teenager. Another setback came in 2020 through disqualification, after Djokovic hit a line judge with a ball in his fourth round match against Pablo Carreno Busta.

Djokovic has also reached the semi finals or further 11 times at Flushing Meadows, including five times in the last decade. The last time he was beaten before the quarter finals was in 2024, when Alexei Popyrin defeated him in the third round in four sets.

Even without the title, Djokovic is set to add to his place in the event’s record book. This year will be his 20th US Open campaign, giving him more main draw appearances than Federer, who finished with 19. Federer won five of those 19, while Djokovic has four from 19 so far, leaving him with one more chance to deepen the rivalry in the record books.